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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26453488">Esoteric Banalities</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistreve/pseuds/Mistreve'>Mistreve</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>RWBY</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Angst, Drama, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Ghosts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:48:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>61,214</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26453488</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistreve/pseuds/Mistreve</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Blake Belladonna is the roommate to Yang Xiao Long. She is also a waitress in a small Italian restaurant in a bay area city, and she has a side of herself she doesn't like to talk about. A past she keeps hidden for fear of judgment. But, it seems that she can't exactly avoid it forever. Blake, despite her objections, has become someone the supernatural flock to. She can see the beings that the rest of society overlooks or refuses to acknowledge. And for some, she is their only hope to find peace. Her years of experience and research into everything from the undead and spirits to creatures thought to only be legends may be the only thing to help navigate her way to a normal life. Now, if only she could find some peace to finish reading.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Blake Belladonna/Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna/Weiss Schnee/Yang Xiao Long, Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Coco Adel/Velvet Scarlatina, Penny Polendina/Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee/Yang Xiao Long</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>130</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>206</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey everyone! This is one of a couple of projects I've been working on between editing the chapters for Sanative Empathy. It's also planned to be a series, but starting with this standalone fic for now with potential sequels later.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Blake sighed and shifted her weight from one leg to the other while staring out a window of the tiny Italian restaurant where she served as hostess and part-time waitress. The sun had just begun to dip below the horizon and lit the sky up in a brilliant orange while still letting stray beams shine about. Behind her, the restaurant was empty of customers. The whole afternoon had been slow and the evening was proving to be the same. Her feline ears flicked at the sound of movement in the back, one turning to locate the source. </p><p>An older woman's voice called out from the back. "Blake, you're still here?" Some modicum of surprise was in the tone. </p><p>Blake’s ears flicked at the voice breaking the silence. One of her bosses, Rosa, was an older faunus woman. Rosa had told Blake what type she was but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember. All she knew is the older woman had small rounded ears atop her head that began to turn gray with age, though some of her previous natural browns still held fast. She and her husband, Angelo, ran the restaurant at that location for twenty years. "Oh, uh, yeah. Did you need something?" Blake called out in reply, turning to face the direction Rosa called from.</p><p>"No, no dear. We're thinking of closing early. Why don't you go enjoy the evening? No sense in sitting around with nothing to do," Rosa replied, stepping out from the server station by the kitchen. Her pale blue dress and white apron contrasted with the onyx accessories she always wore, making them really stand out and demand attention. In addition to them being a gift from her husband, her other reasoning for always wearing them, she would explain often, is that they started conversations. Customers commented on how pretty her necklace and earrings were and she would find delight in telling them all about the anniversary she was gifted them. Blake overheard her talking about them nearly every day she worked, never tiring of engaging with the customers. </p><p>Blake walked closer with a smile. It seemed Rosa had already let her hair down, it falling behind her to her mid-back. "Want me to help close up?"</p><p>"No, no, it's okay. Go on. It's still early. Maybe you and that roommate of yours can go stir up some trouble," Rosa teased and shot Blake a wink. Her bright blue eyes caught the light of the setting sun and gave the expression a more devious look. The smile spread across her face wasn’t helping, either. "Plenty of cute guys in this town." Rosa winked again and nudged Blake’s side.</p><p>Blake could only laugh and shake her head. "Alright, if you insist, but I doubt we'll get into much." She made her way to the office to grab her purse and jacket, passing through the kitchen where Angelo was cleaning up. It seemed they already let the other workers go early. Blake wondered how she hadn’t noticed them leave but only shrugged. </p><p>"Rosa sending you home already?" Angelo asked, his tall and rotund figure shook with his hearty laugh. For as big of a man as he was, his smile and laugh offset any level of intimidation he could muster. His curled reptilian tail behind him hung a bit lower with age, and it no longer had the youthful appearance it once did. </p><p>"Yeah, yeah. Seems to think I'd be better off looking for guys than hanging out here tonight," Blake called back from the office. “I offered to stay and help clean up but she refused.”</p><p>Angelo laughed. "Always meddling, she is. But, go, have fun. We can finish up here. Remember to flip the sign off on your way out."</p><p>"Will do," Blake called out as she finished gathering her things and made her way back up to the front. She waved at Angelo over her shoulder as she passed and was about to do the same to Rosa, but the older woman opened her arms for a hug and Blake couldn’t refuse her. She crouched down slightly to briefly hug the short woman.</p><p>“No, go, find a boy, or maybe a girl. A girl your age should be dating and having fun!” Rosa said while she shooed Blake out the door and locked it behind her. Blake barely had time to tug the cord to turn the ‘Open’ sign off as she was pushed out. With a playful scowl, she turned around only to see Rosa motioning her hands to shoo her along. </p><p>With a smile and shake of her head, Blake started down the street further into town. After half a block, she dug through her purse to pull out her phone to call her roommate. "Yang, answer your phone!" Blake sighed as she listened to the phone ring. She had to step around a couple walking down the sidewalk, catching a brief comment from one of them about the right of way and she just rolled her eyes. "Yaaang," she called out again into her own cell phone as she briskly walked down the sidewalk. As soon as she got sent to voicemail, she groaned in frustration. "Ugh. I know you’re there. Call me back. I got out early." She hung up, stuffed her phone into her purse, and continued down the street past brightly lit restaurants and storefronts. The city streetlights began to flick on with the sun setting behind her. Seventh Avenue thrummed with life; students and couples rushing to their destinations, people lazily going about their business. A number of restaurants with patio seating overlooking the road dotted the street and the further into town she got, the louder the hum of activity was. </p><p> </p><p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p><p> </p><p>Person after person passed by, passed through, blatantly ignored her. She stood at a petite height of no more than five foot one and almost every passerby made her feel smaller and smaller. The despair in her heart weighed her down; all her limbs felt heavy and difficult to move. She was confused. She didn't know where she needed to go. The world appeared black and white. Someone in a black jacket walked right through her. The sensation sent a shiver through her whole body. Was his jacket black? Or did it only seem that way because the world seemed washed out? Either way, the woman wasn't concerned with those details; other matters were more pressing, like figuring out where she was.</p><p>"Help, please..." She pleaded to the strangers passing her by. Nobody turned their heads. Everyone ignored her. "Please," she sobbed and fell to her knees on the sidewalk. A young couple stopped in front of her and she gazed up at them with a twinkle of hope in her eyes. "Please, can you-" She stopped when she saw them looking through the storefront behind her. The twinkle faded from her eyes as the hope she felt sank deep down into nothing. </p><p>"Why is nobody listening to me? Can't they hear me? See me?" She cried and slumped forward to bury her face in her hands. Soft sobs shook her shoulders and her white locks hung in such a way to shroud her face. Under normal conditions, she would have felt embarrassed about crying in public in such a way, as a mess on the sidewalk, but considering nobody even looked her way now, even a judgmental glance would be appreciated. The sun set quickly behind the horizon of buildings and street lights flickered on illuminating the world in a pale gray light only fitting for the monochromatic blur of people. </p><p>She only knew this despair of being unanswered, unseen, ignored. The color bleached from the world was the backdrop of her existence for so long that she couldn't remember if there had been anything else. Nagging thoughts barely out of reach were all she had of her memories from before. She was unable to recall her name, where she lived, where she even was, the year, or even the time of year. Blurred, colorless, muffled, and cold sensations filled her mind and pushed out thoughts of anything else.</p><p>Unbeknownst to the woman, someone crouched next to her. Their voice was quiet at first. She didn't hear the words through the blurred hum of the city street. They were muffled and far away in a sea of cacophonous sound. The person tried again. "Miss?"</p><p>She heard this. The word wormed its way through the fog to greet her in the washed-out shell and it took her a brief moment to understand. When she heard her call out to her again, she felt the word like an anchor and her thoughts reached for it as if her life depended on it. She stopped her crying and wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt.</p><p>"Miss? Are you okay?" The person asked again seeing the recognition in her.</p><p>The woman pushed the hair from her face and looked up to see a woman knelt next to her. A warmth spread through her, beginning in her chest and working outward. She glanced around to make sure it was her the woman was talking to and returned her gaze to her. "You can see me?" she asked hesitantly, a quiver in her voice. The confused relief rattled her vocal cords when she saw that nobody else was in her line of sight.</p><p>The kneeling woman seemed taken aback by the question. "Of course I can. You're right here in front of me. Are you okay?"</p><p>"You… can really see me!" She didn’t bother keeping the excitement from her voice as she sat up straighter.</p><p>The kneeling woman slowly nodded, her head tilted to the side, illustrating her continued confusion at the remark. "I really can," she said in a tone that seemed like she wondered if she should leave. The white-haired woman felt relief when it seemed like she made her mind to stay and help, though. "Are you alright? Do you need me to call someone?"</p><p>"Call someone… I… I don't know." The words registered but the exact meaning felt just out of reach. If the other woman was put off at all by her confused expression, she didn’t let it be known.</p><p>"Alright, well, let's start with this. I'm Blake. What's your name?"</p><p>The woman's expression turned from joy to contemplation to confusion in mere seconds. "My name is… It's… I… I can't… I can’t remember." Her eyes expressed worry with that and she gave Blake a panicked look.</p><p>"Shh, shh, it's alright. Let's start with this, then. Let's get you up. Can you stand?"</p><p>Blake stood back up and offered the woman a hand to assist her up, but when the woman reached to grasp it, her hand passed right through Blake's hand. Blake seemed to shudder like a chill shot through her arm. A knowing look of confusion, then shock, and finally sadness crossed across Blake’s face and she didn’t know why. She couldn’t hear what Blake mumbled to herself but she didn’t have to. Something about her situation had drawn a look of pity from Blake and it only caused her to feel further confused. </p><p> </p><p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p><p> </p><p>Blake jerked her hand back in surprise from the sudden shocking chill, quick to shake it, flexing her fingers to work the sensation out. The expression on the ghost woman's face seemed confused and hurt and Blake sighed. She really didn't want to deal with this right now. Her phone began to ring. She reached for it and paused, feeling conflicted. The screen read "Yang" and she knew Yang would be upset for her not answering, but the present situation demanded her attention more. Blake hit a button to send the call to voicemail, planning to get through the next conversation as quickly as she could. </p><p>"Ah, sorry," she said to the ghost woman. "Okay, so…" Blake closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Why don't you get up and follow me. We'll get things figured out." Her phone buzzed angrily in her purse alerting her to the voicemail from Yang. She didn't even have to listen to it to know what it said. The two had lived together long enough for Blake to know when Yang would be pissed, but she also knew all of the easy ways to diffuse the woman. </p><p>The ghost woman stood up from the concrete and still seemed baffled by what was happening. She dusted herself off and stood up straight, a few inches shorter than Blake. She held her hand close to her chest, obviously still put-off by the strange sensation. Without giving it more than a glance, Blake turned to lead the ghost just a bit further down to a small parking lot and out of the main walkways. She noticed the ghost woman wasn’t following her and she spun on her heel to raise an impatient brow at her. The ghost reluctantly gave in and followed her.</p><p>“So, there’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll just come right out with it. You’re dead. This isn’t a threat, and it’s not a trick. Just a simple statement of facts.” Blake’s voice remained level and soft as she began to explain the situation to the ghost woman. She stood and idly kicked a parking block while watching the ghost woman with indifference as she took the news. </p><p>"It's a lot, I know. Believe me when I say I wish it wasn't true. But, well, here we are," Blake explained. Her phone buzzed again, breaking the awkward exchange, and she sent it to voicemail. Again. "Listen, chances are that, since you're in this city, you've got something tying you here. Is there anything you can remember? A name? Your name? Address? What happened to you?"</p><p>The ghost woman shook her head, her eyes welling up. Blake sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. ”It's okay. It was a long shot anyway,” her words taking an even softer tone at seeing the ghost woman’s reaction. </p><p>“And that shock you gave me? When your hand went through mine?” The ghost looked up at her.</p><p>“Okay, first, I didn't go through you. You went through me. Since you’re manifested here, your body is, uh… what’s the word?” Blake paused a second while she thought. “Non-corporeal. So, everything here is solid but you’re not. If I was in your realm, the situation would be reversed. And second, that shock was merely our planes colliding momentarily. For me, it felt electric and cold, and for you, I imagine it was a burning jolt. It's normal. You and I shouldn't be able to talk or even see each other, let alone touch like that, so you need to get sorted out ASAP. There's absolutely nothing you can remember? At all?”</p><p>The ghost woman turned her head down and stared at her own hand and shook her head. “Will you help me?” The ghost asked and looked back up at Blake. Details of her features came into better focus and Blake wasn’t sure if that was good or not. Past instances of ghost encounters varied, but she vaguely remembered more detail meaning the longer a spirit was stuck. Blake sighed. </p><p>“Look, as much as I like spending my free time on Friday evenings helping out strange spirits I meet in the street instead of relaxing after work, I should go,” Blake said and adjusted her bag on her shoulder. She kicked at the parking block again, the rubber sole of her shoe bouncing off of it rather lazily. “But, if you really do want my help… meet me uh…” She thought a moment. “Meet me here tomorrow around 11 AM. And try to think about things, if you can remember anything at all.”</p><p>The ghost looked up and stared at Blake, her face looking halfway between bursting into tears or becoming frustrated.</p><p>“Come on, don't look at me like that,” Blake softened again. “But, tomorrow, here, 11 AM. Alright?” Blake waited until the ghost gave any sign of agreement before she gave a single half-wave of her hand and turned back towards town. Blake could feel the ghost watch her fish her phone from her bag and disappear into the crowd of people. It took a couple of blocks before she felt like she wasn’t being watched again and breathed easier. “Can’t believe I’m getting involved in another one of these,” she mumbled to herself.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I've got to figure out my upload schedule for everything, but I plan on having this being weekly until it's done, same with Sanative Empathy. I have most of it mapped and planned out, so there shouldn't be any major interruptions to the upload schedule. </p><p>A little background info on this one, it was originally supposed to be an original story. I had a couple of chapters written and after a while, I hit a complete writer's block on it and dropped it. But, after working on Sanative Empathy and finding a groove with writing that, I started toying with the idea of repurposing the story and wound up going back through it and breaking it down to rewrite it all. The plot went through a couple of major shifts and changes as I went, but right now I have everything planned. </p><p>Anyway, I hope you enjoy this, and if you're discovering me through this, maybe check out Sanative Empathy as well. ♥</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Decided on Fridays for this fic's updates! <br/>Hopefully, that seems agreeable for everyone.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Send me to voicemail? Too good to take my calls now?” Yang growled into her phone. Blake had finally called her back, but before she could speak, Yang cut her off at the start. It was hard for her to stay mad at her roommate for long and she wanted to get the jab in before her frustration dissipated. She felt it was only fair because of the message she was left.</p>
<p>“Hey, it's not like that. I had a… I had something come up. It's all good now.” Blake’s voice sounded like she was hiding something and Yang found the perfect opportunity to get her back further.</p>
<p>“Uh-huh, is that what we're doing now? Skirting around the topic?” Perfect. Yang smirked behind the phone.</p>
<p>“What are yo-”</p>
<p>“It's okay. You can admit it. Everyone’s allowed a secret rendezvous now and again,” she cut her off again.</p>
<p>“What ar- O-oh, no, I wasn't…” </p>
<p>Got her. “You can say it,” Yang laughed. Her tone changed from accusatory to teasing with one line. Her smile widened while imagining Blake’s blush and hoped she was somewhere public so others could see, too. “Really, though, what held you up?”</p>
<p>Blake sighed. “I ran into someone who needed directions. Took a minute to help is all.” Yang could tell it wasn’t exactly the whole truth, but she also got the feeling Blake didn’t want to explain further. “Get your butt ready. Meet me at the usual.” </p>
<p>Her roommate’s words snapped her attention back and Yang got up from her bed.“Fiiine, I'll be there in about fifteen,” Yang overacted with her whine before hanging up. She slipped her phone into her back pocket while she walked around the corner in the apartment to the restroom to check her makeup and hair. Once seeing herself again, she smiled and shifted her head each way to get a good look. “Lookin’ good. All set,” she smiled to herself and did finger guns at the mirror as she backed out. With a quick shuffle, she slipped her boots on and snatched her keys from the side table as she headed out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Blake shifted in her seat. The pants she wore for work were uncomfortable and had a seam on the hip that dug in. She had planned to fix that on her last day off, but that didn't end up happening. All those books weren't going to read themselves. While she waited for Yang to arrive, Blake swished the green tea around in her cup and watched the liquid swirl around the white ceramic. "Where is she? Yang's usually the first here to rub it in my face how slow I am." She snorted a half-laugh through her nose and pulled her phone out to check the time. "I'll give her another ten minutes before ordering." Blake slumped back in the booth and gazed out the window. With the sun setting and the dark of night spreading through the city, streetlights began flickering to life, illuminating the streets and the night crowds.</p>
<p>The city's nightlife was rather hidden to most. Most bars and clubs wound up being tucked away off the main streets. With the college being the center of the city, the image the city was trying to uphold, it seemed an unspoken courtesy most businesses followed. The three main roads through the city were kept free from bars, liquor stores, cigarette stores, and clubs. From an outside perspective, this all seemed an odd choice, but within, things felt normal. People grew accustomed to keeping up appearances and, in return, the college kept a steady influx of money supporting the city. Outside the cafe, Blake saw the familiar coat and golden locks of Yang approaching quickly. The woman was almost in a full-on run. Blake grinned and stifled a laugh. "About time," she laughed to herself and glanced at her phone for the time. Yang entered with a loud clanging of the bells attached to the front door and quickly plopped into the booth.</p>
<p>"I'd be sorry for being late if you didn't irritate me earlier," Yang started the conversation. </p>
<p>"Oh, whatever. I called you back, didn't I?" The two women laughed and Blake spoke again. "I ordered us tea. Figured you'd want the usual."</p>
<p>With an overdramatic feigned display of surprise, Yang placed a hand on her chest and leaned back with a gasp. "It's almost like you know me or something, strange lady who I only just met."</p>
<p>"Like anyone here would believe that," Blake laughed and slid an empty teacup and the pot of tea towards Yang.</p>
<p>"Fine, you got me." She poured some tea and took a sip. "Mm, so, any special occasion for this?"</p>
<p>"Not particularly. Work's been slow and I'm not sure how much longer things are going to last there. Figured I needed a distraction and to unwind." With a sigh, Blake set her elbows on the table and leaned forward.</p>
<p>"You can always come and work at the shop." The smirk on Yang's face faded when she didn't get the reaction she was hoping for. "Hey, I was kidding. But, really, you'll figure something out. Not like these are permanent jobs, yeah? You've been there how long? Three years now? Wasn’t it only supposed to be until you graduated? Besides, I'm sure if you asked, should anything happen, gods forbid, what's her name, Rosa? She'd write a glowing rec."</p>
<p>"You're right, but ugh..." Another sigh from Blake. "I'll have to do actual work if I go somewhere else." Her mood seemed to already be improving. A smile peeked through in the corner of her mouth and spread into a slight smirk. "But for now, I'll go down with the ship." The statement made her straighten up with confidence. She downed the rest of her tea and reached for the pot to pour some more.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After the two had ordered, but before the end of their meal, a conversation hung in the air. Neither woman wanted to broach the subject, but they knew it needed to be brought up regardless of hesitations. Blake avoided the topic for as long as she possibly could and Yang wanted to put it behind her. Both knew it had to be smoothed over and Yang knew she was going to need to be the one to bring it up. "Hey, so, about Adam..."</p>
<p>Blake’s ears laid flat and she set her fork back down on her plate. She closed her eyes a moment, not looking back up to Yang. "What about Adam?"</p>
<p>The cold tone of Blake’s voice made Yang hesitate. It had only been a couple of months since everything happened, but the two hadn’t talked about it once in that time. "How things ended back there. I hope you don't-"</p>
<p>"Hey, listen. You're my best friend. I'm not upset with you. But, it's over with." Blake opened her eyes and her expression was difficult to read. Yang watched her a moment before attempting to speak.</p>
<p>"You say that, but-"</p>
<p>"But what?” Blake’s voice rose and it made Yang’s shoulders slump. “But I was so hurt when he left with everything? I was upset over what happened to you? To me? It was a messed up thing, Yang, but it's behind us."</p>
<p>Yang bit her lip and poked at her plate with her chopsticks. Noodles and vegetables shifted around and slid about. "We never got a chance to talk it out,” Yang spoke in a hushed tone. “You stormed out so quickly after. I didn't have a chance to say or do anything."</p>
<p>"Listen. It's... it's fine. Yang. I tried to keep you out of it, but that didn't work." With the last few words, Blake closed her eyes again, and once the sentence was done she took a deep breath and sighed. "Adam's a liar and you and I both got manipulated. That's all there is to it. I didn't tell you because I thought I had taken care of things. I didn't expect him to show up at the apartment. It's really not your fault for letting him in. Okay?"</p>
<p>Yang stayed quiet and nodded.</p>
<p>"We filed the police report. We got my laptop back, we got your TV back, and if that's all that happened to get rid of him for good, we got through it alright."</p>
<p>"But… that’s not all that happened.” Words hung heavy. Memories of that night still felt so fresh in Yang’s mind. The bruises Blake and she got had long since healed but memories of them stayed. She was loath to admit it, but Adam legitimately scared her. “I feel so stupid for le-"</p>
<p>"Hey. None of that. I was frustrated, but we're fine." Blake quickly started again. "It wasn't with you, though!" She sat up straight and tried to backpedal the conversation. "I was frustrated with him, not you. I'm happy you're alright. I dunno what I ever saw in him." She sighed and flopped back in the booth. A tense silence hung in the air between the two women, both of whom refused to make eye contact for a seemingly endless moment. Yang was the first to break the tension.</p>
<p>"Well, now that I botched the evening," she laughed in a half-hearted attempt to change the tone of the conversation and scratched the back of her neck. </p>
<p>Blake cut her off before she could continue. "You didn't ruin anything."</p>
<p>"Oh, will you shut it? Let me have my moment, please." Yang overacted with a glare.</p>
<p>Blake shrugged and shook her head realizing there was no arguing with Yang at times like this. "Alright. Continue then."</p>
<p>"As I was saying!" Yang's words were louder and she furrowed her brow at Blake before relaxing and lowering her tone. "We should pay up here and grab some wine and ice cream before we head home."</p>
<p>Blake turned her head to the side and gave Yang a look of skepticism.</p>
<p>"Oh, you shush," Yang shot at her.</p>
<p>"I didn't-"</p>
<p>"You were thinking it. You act like I don't know you."</p>
<p>Blake raised her hands and laughed. "You got me. Alright. What is this plan of yours, oh great one?"</p>
<p>Yang furrowed her brow and shook her head. "Don't act like you don't enjoy these movie nights."</p>
<p>With a roll of her eyes, Blake smiled. "What'd you get us tonight?"</p>
<p>"I am so glad you asked. We have two movies for tonight. The first one we’ll start with is a personal favorite. A tale of explosions and revenge. And the second one, since I know you don’t like my favorite films, is the story about a man and his dog."</p>
<p>Blake sighed. "I'm going to cry?"</p>
<p>"Do you even have to ask?"</p>
<p>With a sense of defeat in her voice, Blake answered. "No." The two women laughed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>While this story progresses, I do want to point out that I am paying a bit more attention to some details in this since I am wanting it to become a larger AU in the long run. While Sanative Empathy has sequels on the way later, that AU is mostly focused on the core members of things and their lives. This AU was always meant to be something a bit bigger with room for more things than what is focused on just in Esoteric Banalities. Whether I get around to adding those extra stories, later on, I'm not sure, but I am wanting this to be bigger than simply what's presented here. I actually have a lot of notes I've made for future ideas in it, so we'll see.</p>
<p>Anyway, that's all I really wanted to add for now. As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you're discovering me through this, maybe check out my other story, Sanative Empathy, as well. ♥</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Blake sat on the edge of a planter in the post office parking lot and sipped at a steaming cup of tea. She had only woken up maybe forty-five minutes prior and was struggling to keep from nodding off. The night before, she and Yang had each had entirely too much of everything; wine, ice cream, and grilled cheese sandwiches when the ice cream ran out. Blake had skipped breakfast since she still felt full from everything and the dull ache at the base of her skull was making her stomach feel sensitive. Tea was what her body demanded, so tea she got. </p>
<p>“Where is she?” Blake mumbled and hopped off the planter to look around again in hopes of spotting the spectral figure. No sign of her. Blake pulled her phone out and checked the time in case she was too early and it read 10:42 AM, an entire eighteen minutes early. She scowled and kicked at a parking block, her ears laying down flat in annoyance when the rubber sole of her shoe bounced off of the cement parking block. Why did she agree to help this one? Hadn’t she learned from the past instances of how time-consuming this would be? Did she really want to go through this all again? Blake sighed. She did want to help, and she hadn’t learned anything from past events. She returned to sitting on the planter’s edge and rifled through her bag to pull out a slightly battered notebook. </p>
<p>“Might as well…” She opened the notebook and flipped through a couple of pages of notes. Each page, front and back, was covered top to bottom in a tight and neatly scrawled script. It took Blake a few more page turns to reach the section she was searching for. Halfway down on the fifth page, underneath a line drawn across the page as a divider between sections, was the start of Blake’s second encounter in aiding a ghost. From her brief conversation with the woman the night before, she could tell it was going to be similar to this instance. Right down to the memory loss and unknown identity. While waiting for the specter to appear, she read through the pages detailing how they had solved that. “Definitely going to be a tough one again,” she sighed. All of the effort gone into checking obituaries at the library had been for nothing when they found out the spirit’s death wasn’t even known. Blake flipped a page and scanned through the notes, more details coming back to her. It took seeing the neighborhood they used to live in for anything to come back to them. That might be worth a try. It would definitely beat searching through newspaper archives again.</p>
<p>A cold electric sensation shot through Blake’s shoulder, taking her by surprise. The sensation made her yelp and goosebumps to immediately form all down her arms, jumping to her feet and spinning around. A soft gasp and the sensation stopped. She looked up to see the ghost standing next to where she was just sitting, an expression of fear on her face. “Holy… Really startled me.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, I-”</p>
<p>“It’s alright. Next time, try and get my attention another way. But, whew. That really jolted me up. Anyway, I’m mostly relieved you showed.” The ghost nodded with reluctance, unsure if she had upset Blake. The faunus woman stretched and reached to grab her bag. “There’s a park nearby. Let’s head there. Will be much easier to talk without the sound of traffic.” </p>
<p>The two women left the parking lot and continued down for another two blocks before turning down a side road away from the main roads. As more buildings were behind them, the quieter things got. “I’m not sure if you know much about around here, but the park over here is one of my favorites. I found it on my way home from work one time. I typically come here to read when the weather is nice and Yang is busy with whatever she’s doing at the apartment,” she mused. The ghost remained quiet and nodded while trying to take in the surroundings, commit them to memory, so she wouldn’t get lost later. Businesses thinned out and they passed a number of houses the further they got from the main streets. Blake slipped down an alley between an apartment complex and a row of houses and on the other side, they hit a quieter residential area. "It's only another block from here," Blake told the ghost. The specter nodded and continued to look around to take in street signs and addresses. They turned a corner by a bright blue house with blinding white trim and on the opposite side of the street was a green field. "It's just up here." Blake turned her head back with a smile and motioned for the two of them to cross the street. A cool breeze shook the leaves in the trees and issues out a gentle rustling. "C'mon, let's go to the picnic tables and we can get to work."</p>
<p>"Right..." The ghost frowned and followed behind. Blake sat down on a concrete bench and set her bag on the table. Old spray paint that was no longer readable because of age was on the side of the solid table side. The top of it had similar paint but looked as if rain and general weather wore it down faster than the rest. Rifling through her bag, she pulled out a couple of well-worn notebooks and a pen. </p>
<p>"Have a seat. We can start by going over what we know right now. Even if it's only the basics. You appear to be a woman, I'd wager in her early thirties when you passed. Sounding alright so far?" Blake opened a notebook to a blank section, drawing a separator line and marking the date and using her own labeling system to mark the encounter as another ghost type. </p>
<p>The ghost looked at Blake with a puzzled expression. "Um... y-yeah. That seems right, I suppose."</p>
<p>Blake looked at the ghostly woman before her in concern. "Is everything alright? I don't want to rush you, but the sooner we can get some of this down, the easier it'll be going forward." She set the pen down and shifted on the bench, noticing the ghost still stood a few feet away from the table and benches. </p>
<p>"You're right. You're right. It's just a lot to take in, I guess,” the specter admitted and sat down next to Blake.</p>
<p>"I understand. Why don't I tell you a bit about what we can do to figure some things out that worked for others in your position? It may also jog your memory." Blake reached for a dark blue notebook and flipped through the pages.</p>
<p>The ghost appeared to sigh, but whether or not she took a breath and did so remained unclear. Regardless, her shoulders slumped. "Go ahead." She leaned forward and rested on the concrete table. </p>
<p>"Alright." Blake turned a couple more pages as she skimmed the encounter notes. She flipped through a few more pages and stopped on one with a very tight and neat script covering the entirety of it. "Here we go. This was a case from not that long ago. This man, he could only remember a scene and nothing else. We were able to find the specific location and work from there based on a few details of the surroundings. All we need is a starting point. With his, it was part of an address number on the curb."</p>
<p>"But, I can't remember anything!" The ghost closed her eyes and laid her head on the table. "Nothing looks familiar, I don't know where I even am, what city this is, nothing." </p>
<p>"Hey, we'll get there." Blake looked down at the page and stared at it intently. She was unsure if this was even possible to do again. Every other person she had helped like this had at least one small thing to go off of to begin their search. Something. Anything. Even the spirit that they needed to walk through neighborhoods to jog memories could remember the name of the city. This time, though, they were starting from scratch. Zero. Nothing. There had to be something. Anything. "If we're going to get this figured out, I'll need you to be open about this. It's the only way we're going to find out who you are and why you're here. Alright?"</p>
<p>"A-alright. I can try." The ghost groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose.</p>
<p>"Good. Now, another way to do things, if we don't have anything to go by, or we hit a dead end, is search through obituaries. There's a lot of them, and it would be very time consuming, so we'll leave that as a last resort since it helps to have a time frame to search within. It could be any length of time between now and when you died. Cases like this have come up twenty years later sometimes. They'll be on the other side and as time passes, something keeps pulling at them, slowly, slowly, until... Pop! They're back on this side."</p>
<p>"Umm..."</p>
<p>"Ah, sorry.  Not very reassuring. Okay, so... Let's see. There's always searching around the city and see if anything looks familiar. Though, since it's still a city, stores, houses, entire blocks will change within years. Though, it has worked for people in the past. Sometimes seeing a neighborhood or a location will jog memories back.” Blake’s ears flicked as a breeze kicked up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The two returned back towards town, down the alleys and back to the main city road. Nothing major had been accomplished in the meeting, but the ghost had some places to begin on her own. It wasn't that Blake was of no help; quite the contrary. The ghost was the one of no help. With her memory blank and nothing the two had tried was able to jog it, she was unsure where to go from here. A pang of guilt hit her for wasting the woman's time, but the ghost only redoubled her efforts to sort this out. She wasn't sure why but seeing the smile on Blake's face made her confident. </p>
<p>"I will take a walk and see if anything feels familiar," the ghost said. "I don't know what else to do, and after everything we went over, it's not like there's anywhere else to start."</p>
<p>Blake smiled weakly. "I suppose you’re right. If you can get anything, it'll give us a starting point. And, I apologize for my rudeness yesterday. And today. And a little bit ago." One corner of Blake's mouth rose into a heartfelt smirk. "Anyway, we'll meet again, mm... Two days from now at the park?"</p>
<p>The ghost hesitated before replying. She wanted to not leave the woman out of loneliness, but it would have been unfair to her. After a moment of debate, she nodded her response. "At noon?"</p>
<p>"Sounds perfect," Blake smiled and gave the ghost woman a wave before heading down the sidewalk towards the busy streets. </p>
<p>The ghost slumped her shoulders and looked around at the buildings, the people, the vehicles. Nothing stood out. "It's okay, though. I'll find something." The tone of her voice wasn't enough to convince herself and she shook her head. She headed in the opposite direction of Blake, leaving the busyness of downtown for the quieter length of shops and businesses. The people around walked more leisurely and the overall feeling was calming. She looked through the windows of a bookstore. Inside, people interacted. They spoke, they could... touch things... </p>
<p>The ghost frowned with envy. She reached her hand out to the glass only to have her fingers pass through, but with some effort, they didn't pass through as smoothly. Since she was aware of the density of the item she was touching, she could touch it and not slip fully through, much in the same way she knew the ground was hard so she didn't fall through into the earth's crust. With her fingers half through the glass, she pulled them back out and sighed. When she shifted her focus from the glass back to the people inside, she noticed a woman staring in her direction and could barely make out her saying something. </p>
<p>No. Not her direction.</p>
<p>At her.</p>
<p>The ghost's eyes widened and she took a step back, surprised. She wondered what the woman was saying. It seemed to be one syllable. From where she stood, it looked like she was saying ‘ice’ or ‘wise’ something similar. The woman inside kept staring where the ghost was and finally shook her head, the long rabbit ears atop her head flopped from side to side. She glanced around in mild confusion as if she lost whatever it was she was looking at. The spirit made note of the situation, curious if she was actually visible to some degree to the woman inside. Without being sure, she shuffled along further down the road. </p>
<p>The ghost looked around at her surroundings and headed back the way she came. She was sure this was the direction Blake had gone, but she was nowhere to be seen. Even after running for as long as she could, she couldn’t manage to find her again. "She wasn't that far ahead," the ghost mumbled to herself, the desperation causing the words to falter. People walked past at varying speeds, the cars, the lights, all blurring together. The city around her became a cacophony of overwhelming stimuli. She had no choice but to find somewhere to wait. Glancing around, the ghost spotted a side road between two storefronts. Everybody passed it by without giving it a second glance. "Perfect."</p>
<p>The ghost slipped into the alley to catch her bearings. "I can't handle that. I need to..." She sat down on the pavement and leaned back against the brick exterior of a wine and cheese bar. She closed her eyes. “Figure this out soon,” she mumbled again, but the word ‘wise’ stuck in her mind. Something about it just felt so familiar but so foreign. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Blake closed the apartment door behind her and dropped her bag on the side table with a groan. </p>
<p>"And where have you been all day? Hmm?" A voice called out from around the corner. </p>
<p>"Oh, hey Yang. Don't worry about it," Blake replied with a teasing tone to her voice. "I had a few things to do."</p>
<p>"Things? Or people?"</p>
<p>"Hey! It wasn't like that. I had to meet someone to help with a..." Her mind drew a blank. She didn't know how to explain the situation she found herself in. "We were working on a project," she finally blurted out. "Someone I know wanted help with a genealogy thing." Blake twisted the truth a bit to keep Yang in the dark. In the years they've known each other, Blake had done a decent enough job of keeping Yang from finding out about her supernatural predicaments. </p>
<p>"Suuuure you did. Anyway, I ordered a pizza. Should be here in a few minutes. We still have to watch the other movie before it's due back."</p>
<p>"Great. Well, let me take a shower first. I smell like the city." Blake slipped her shoes off and hung her jacket on the coat hooks by the door. The coat hooks were something Yang had brought back from a venture out hitting up garage sales. A metal worker was selling a glossy black metal coat hook rack made from bent horseshoes. Overall the piece was very out of place in their apartment, but the piece was too great not to hang up. </p>
<p>"Fiiiine. I like you better when you smell like honey and flowers anyway."</p>
<p>"Wow. Rude."</p>
<p>"Psssh. Love you." Yang poked her head out of her room and stuck her tongue out at Blake who was rolling her eyes.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm still plugging along with this! Big plans, big, big plans for it long-term. As I'm writing this, I'm trying a new thing of actually taking notes as I go instead of relying on my own wonky memory. (But in all seriousness, this fic has more to keep track of for me than past stuff I've written for longterm purposes.)</p>
<p>As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Comments are always welcome!<br/>And if you're discovering me through this, maybe check out my other story, Sanative Empathy, as well. ♥</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Blake opened her eyes only to be blinded by the sun poking straight through her window blinds. She squeezed her eyes shut and muttered to herself. "How rude." She rolled over and pulled her comforter over her head. It was Sunday and she'd have to be at work the following day, but not until the evening. All she wanted was to spend the day sleeping, but the sun was not allowing her such a luxury. </p>
<p>"Hey! Get up!" Yang's voice called from the hallway. </p>
<p>"No!" Blake shouted back, muffled by the comforter. </p>
<p>"Yes!"</p>
<p>"Noooo!"</p>
<p>"Yesssss." Yang's voice drew nearer. She stepped into Blake's room and strode to the window to pull the blinds open. "It's nice out. I won't let you hole up in here all day. Last weekend was bad enough." Muffled grumbling came from under Blake's blankets, but a few curses could be made out. "I heard that." She reached down and yanked the blankets off of Blake.</p>
<p>"Ugggghhhh." Blake groaned and tried to cover her face from the bright sun. </p>
<p>"Gettt uuuuuppp. It's already past eleven. Or am I going to have to get the bucket again?"</p>
<p>With a defeated sigh, Blake replied back. "I'm up, I'm up. Or, trying to."</p>
<p>"Good. I need you to do a few things while I run to work to sort something out. I left a list on the counter and forty lien which should cover everything. I'll be back in a couple of hours."</p>
<p>"Okay, mom."</p>
<p>Yang rolled her eyes, reached down, and tickled Blake's side in retaliation for the comment. </p>
<p>"Gah! Fine, fine. I'm awake."</p>
<p>"Alright. Anyway, I'll see you in a bit. Apparently the new guy, Bud, couldn't hack it so I'm getting called in to finish the jobs from yesterday."</p>
<p>Blake sat up and wiped her eyes. "Is his name really Bud?"</p>
<p>Yang shrugged. "No clue. But, does it matter? Anyone who can't do an oil change or change a tire may as well be named that."</p>
<p>Blake stretched and stood up. The oversized teeshirt she wore hung over her in a wrinkled mess from being slept in the night before. "You say that, but you're going to eventually run into a Bud that's going to kick your ass for that." She laughed and rifled through a pile of clean clothes on top of her dresser she was too lazy to put away in the dresser. She figured the placements of on the dresser and in in the dresser were only one vowel different so it was close enough.</p>
<p>Yang closed her eyes and shook her head. "Anyway, I'm heading out. Put on some pants and do my- err- your chores."</p>
<p>Blake raised a brow and looked over in the direction Yang was leaving. “Alright, alright,” she grumbled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Alright, let's see what Yang stuck me with."</p>
<p>Blake shuffled into the kitchen, half-awake. On the countertop, a scrap of paper with a list sat atop two twenty lien bills. She glanced over to the dish rack to find it empty. "Didn't leave me any mugs. Great." She shook her head and grabbed the paper and money. "Let's see..."</p>
<p>"Chicken breasts<br/>Onions<br/>1 can of broth<br/>Potatoes<br/>White wine<br/>Trash bags<br/>Teabags"</p>
<p>"Oh my gods. She used the last of my tea, too. Can't believe this," Blake muttered while moving towards the front door. "Get me out of bed. Don't leave me tea. Can't even make more right now. This is too rude." She shook her head and stuffed the list and money into her pocket while putting her jacket on. The door creaked as it opened. "Great. And the door is squeaking again." Blake made a motion as if she was flipping an invisible table while stomping out the front door. Another loud squeak of the hinges as the door shut behind her. </p>
<p>"The hinge acting up again, dear?" An elderly woman stopped in front of the apartment across the hall. "Want me to get the super?"</p>
<p>"Oh, no, it's alright Alice. I've gotta go grab a few things. Maybe when I get back."</p>
<p>"Alright. Well, let me know if you change your mind. And, be careful out there. I hear it's supposed to rain this afternoon."</p>
<p>"Thank you, and I will," Blake smiled and nodded her head as she left down the hall towards the "front" door. The building had two entrances; there was the front door where the manager's office also was, and there was the side entrance where the mailboxes were. Blake and Yang, and most everyone on their side of the building always went for the side door since it was just a little way down the hall from the apartments as well as being closest to the cafe across the street, Blake and Yang’s usually meeting spot. Two steps down onto the polished concrete of the side foyer and mail room and out the metal door onto a quieter street.</p>
<p>"Forty, huh? Seems Yang is treating me to a tea today. How sweet of her," she laughed and headed down the street towards the closest grocery store. People passed her by going in all different directions, but she didn't pay them any mind. Her destination was clear; the coffee kiosk at the grocery store, then she would worry about whatever was on the list. She was walking so briskly she didn't even catch the sight of the ghost woman sitting in the alleyway she passed, and the ghost woman didn't catch sight of Blake, either. The sting of the cool air in her eyes exacerbated the sleep she was still fighting off. Her body cried out for precious sleep or equally precious caffeine. At this point, either one of them would work Blake thought to herself.</p>
<p>The bright red sign of the store was in sight. Her pace quickened and it was all she could do to keep from running. The closer she got, the colder everything seemed to feel, but Blake knew it was only in her head since a cup of damn fine tea awaited her inside. Or, not damn fine. It was only a chain coffee kiosk in a grocery store. It was good enough tea. She’d accept passable tea at that point. Bitter leaf water, even.</p>
<p>She was in the parking lot now. </p>
<p>Halfway down an aisle of parking spots.</p>
<p>On the sidewalk.</p>
<p>And finally inside. She did it. </p>
<p>Blake jogged to the line for the kiosk and sighed in relief. The girls behind the counter had their routine down to a machine-like rhythm. One especially cute girl took the orders and handed the cup to the next person who handled half of the machines, and when done there would hand it to the final person in the line who would finish preparing it and hand it to the customer. Blake watched them for a minute while waiting for her turn. Finally, finally, finally, she got to the front of the line.</p>
<p>"What would you like today?" The girl at the register had a very cheery grin on and it contrasted with the feeling of being half-dead that filled Blake at that moment. </p>
<p>"Can I get… A large earl gray with a little room?" </p>
<p>"You got it!" The cheery reply made Blake smile awkwardly. "That'll be three even."</p>
<p>Blake stared at nothing for a second before blinking and she awkwardly dug into her pocket to pull out one of the twenty lien bills that wound up getting crumpled. She handed it over to the cashier and awkwardly laughed at the state of it. The cuteness of the girl behind the counter wasn't helping the situation. Blake took her change and tucked a couple of lien into the tip jar and shuffled over to the pickup counter to wait for her order.</p>
<p>The sound of the espresso maker hissed as Blake stood to wait for her drink. She pulled the list out of her pocket again to look it over. "Huh, well, she better be making dinner tonight. In that case, I'll grab something for dessert." The barista put someone’s espresso on the counter and she watched as the girl turned to begin Blake’s order. She turned down to the list again and started to plan her route through the store to get out of there as quickly as possible. The sound of everyone inside becoming a muffled roar that made her flatten her ears to dull some of it. </p>
<p>"Blake!" A loud but smooth voice called out from behind her. The barista slid a paper cup across the counter towards her. As she turned around and caught sight of the girl behind the counter, she averted her gaze and looked down at her cup as she picked it up. </p>
<p>"Ah, thank you.” Blake didn't want to be rude and gawk. Just her luck. All the cute ones were working the coffee kiosk at the same time. </p>
<p>She sighed and stepped around to the side to pour a splash of creamer in her drink. "Now on to this stupid list."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The ghost emerged from the side alley and stretched in the morning sunlight. For being non-corporeal, she thought, sitting places like the sidewalk still messed with her back. She wished she knew Blake's schedule. Or even more than a small stretch of the city. Her determination was not going to let her down, though. A starting point in the search would have been appreciated, but a general location had to suffice. All night of thinking on the encounter made her question if the strange woman actually knew her. Did she actually recognize her? And what about what she said? Was it ‘wise’ or ‘ice,’ and were those even names? This was assuming the woman actually saw her and said her name which the ghost was unsure of to even begin with. "What am I thinking?" the ghost laughed. "It would be way too much to hope for to have this be that simple. Blake should have some ideas." She looked around at the people on the street but nobody seemed to notice her. That seemed reassuring. She hoped it would stay that way. Or… at least until she found Blake.</p>
<p>She closed her eyes and concentrated, testing herself to see if she remembered the area as well as she thought she did. Two blocks to her left was an intersection and stoplight. Another two blocks past that was another stoplight. On the corner sat a drugstore and coffee shop. Not far from there was where she had met Blake, and further down the street, they had met the next morning in the post office parking lot. She opened her eyes. Her memory of the area seemed to be accurate enough. The locations were where she remembered them once she double-checked. "Alright, she has to live somewhere in this area," the ghost surmised. </p>
<p>The ghost looked at each of the buildings. Brick and stucco store faces lined the opposite side of the road from her. A sandwich shop. A jewelry shop. A... Chinese cafe? Kitty-cornered from where the ghost stood, a building stood taller than the others that surrounded it, maybe four stories tall and shadowed by a nearby overpass. Something about the building called to the ghost. It wasn't the look of the building; far from it. The siding was much the same as the rest around it; brick and stucco. But, maybe it was the way its shadow barely poked out from the overpass' shadow. Maybe it was how a series of trees in an empty lot behind it framed it so well in a shroud of green. Whatever it was, the ghost felt compelled to approach it. </p>
<p>Despite being able to pass through objects with no effort, she still waited for traffic to come to a stop and she followed other pedestrians as they crossed the road. Force of habit from being alive, she guessed. While she approached the building and stepped into its shadow, the temperature noticeably dropped and made the warm light through the door's window feel even more inviting. Curious, the ghost peered through the window to see if anyone was inside. As she did so, someone opened the door and both the door and person passed right through her. </p>
<p>"Gah, it's freezing out here." An elderly man shivered and pulled his jacket to himself before setting off down the street out of the shadows.</p>
<p>The ghost stood frozen in place while the door passed back through her and shut, a look of shock plastered to her face.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Blake left the store with a paper bag in one hand and her tea in the other. Life actually showed in her eyes as opposed to when she had arrived at the store with dulled senses and desperation seated deep in her soul. Caffeine coursed through her and she no longer felt three-quarters dead. "Yang better let me have some of whatever she's making. All this work when I wanted to sleep," she grumbled to herself as she walked back home. "She's lucky I'm not any lazier than I already am otherwise…" She shook her head. </p>
<p>The sun above warmed Blake as she crossed an intersection next to the corner drugstore. Being outside the busy grocery store left the world quieter. Even the sounds of traffic felt subdued compared to the after-church rush at the store. She let her ears relax and lift back up to appreciate the soft sounds of birds in the distance. Between the short time it took for her to head to the store and her leaving, the city felt warmer, more vibrant, and alive. Or maybe it was the caffeine kicking in. Either way, Blake felt happier. </p>
<p>The closer she got to home, she could see how the overpass and apartment building cast their shadows and shaded the side entrance she always used. She liked it when this happened since it made the smaller road between the apartment complex and the building across the street feel like a scene from a noir detective story. All it was missing was the rainy weather and a man in a beige trenchcoat smoking a cigarette while leaning back against the brick exterior of the cafe. Though… Outside the apartment side door, standing still and looking confused, was… a ghost? Or, what Blake thought looked like the ghost from the day before. "Is that…?" she sighed. She was hoping for a quiet day after running the errand. Maybe finish the book she had started reading the weekend prior. The closer she walked, the more positive she was that it was the ghost.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This was a bit late, sorry. At least it's still Friday on the West Coast right now. </p>
<p>Anyway, I've had a ton of writing done lately, and am still planning on lots more. <br/>Right now, I'm taking a little break between some things and am starting a new story. Not sure what the length will be yet, but I'm wanting it to be as long as it needs to be. But, right now it's an estimated 20 chapters. I'm still going to have more of my other projects going, so no worries there. This isn't going to affect my upload schedule at all. Just means more stories for everyone!</p>
<p>I hope you enjoyed this chapter!<br/>And as always, if you haven't done so, maybe check out my other story, Sanative Empathy, which is reaching its conclusion, and I'll keep you all updated on what I've got going on! ♥</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Blake crossed the street in a hurry, only casting a quick glance around for any oncoming cars. She had a hard time believing the ghost had come all the way to find her but there she was. The closer she got, the cooler the temperature dropped as she stepped into the tall shadow cast by the overpass. </p>
<p>“What are you doing here?” she hissed and the spirit seemed shocked at the sound of her voice. She shook her head and came to stop next to her. “I thought we agreed Sunday at noon, not… whatever time it is right now and today.” The ghost appeared nervous and wasn’t speaking which made Blake only sigh. “Look, you’re here right now, so you may as well come in. Were you able to figure anything out, at least?”</p>
<p>The spirit seemed to snap to attention again and stammered. “I- uh- N-no, not yet.” When Blake began heading for the door, the ghost reached to open it out of courtesy but her hand passed through the handle and her shoulders slumped. </p>
<p>“Yeah, no, I got it,” Blake smirked and shifted her tea to be held against her with her arm while she pulled the door open. Inside somehow felt even colder than outside but Blake figured it had to do with the cement floors of the small mailroom and all of the tinted windows keeping any external heat out. “Come on,” she said, turning her head to the ghost and nodded toward the hall ahead. The two made their way up a couple of stairs and to the front door. Blake dug in her bag to pull out her keys and started to open the door. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” the ghost mumbled as she watched Blake open the door. </p>
<p>Blake noted that her voice held a note of sincerity and whatever frustrations she had with her started to melt away. “It’s… It’s fine. Just come inside.” She tossed her keys into the small side table and kicked her shoes off by the door. Using her elbow, she hit a switch on the door and it turned the kitchen lights on. “There we go. Now, can I ask why you came all the way over here?” Blake shuffled into the kitchen and set her tea on the counter before beginning to put all of the groceries away.</p>
<p>The ghost stood nearby and watched as Blake worked. “I didn’t know where else to go. It was cold and I was-” She paused her sentence as if she was choosing her words carefully. Blake didn’t even have to look to hear it in her voice. “Scared,” she finally admitted. The weight of the word settled on Blake and she nodded in thought. </p>
<p>“Alright, well, at least you’re here, I guess,” Blake shrugged as she finished tucking the last of the food away. “Why don’t we head to my room, then? And there wasn’t anything that you were able to remember or recall since yesterday?”</p>
<p>The ghost hesitated before following Blake down the hall. “There was one thing, but I’m not sure if it means anything,” she finally admitted. Blake held the door open for her and she entered the small bedroom. “After you left, I was looking around the city and one place, I-” </p>
<p>Blake took a seat on her bed and motioned for the ghost to take a seat somewhere as well since she was curious if she could actually sit on the furniture. Some spirits she encountered before weren’t able to. Something about how they perceived the plane they were inhabiting didn’t allow them to wrap their head around actually interfering with things like surfaces. They were usually the ones that had to concentrate to not fall through the solid ground. To her relief, it seems like the current ghostly guest didn’t have those same issues and was able to sit down at the far end of Blake’s bed. </p>
<p>“I was looking through the door to someplace. The glass window to it. I reached out to touch it and my hand pushed through it, but with some concentration, I could almost feel the pressure of pushing on it. But when I looked through again, someone inside was staring at me.” Each sentence made the ghost seem more distressed. A gentle chill rolled off of her as she continued. “I backed up to leave. When I stepped back and stopped touching the glass, it was like they couldn’t see me anymore. I don’t know who that was, but they said something. Either ‘why’ or ‘wise’ or ‘ice’ or something similar. And I keep coming back to that.”</p>
<p>Blake nodded along, listening. When the ghost finished, she leaned over to pull a notebook from a nearby stack of them and flipped it open. She started to jot down some notes. “Do you remember what she looked like?”</p>
<p>The ghost turned to look at Blake, her hands tugging and fiddling with the edge of her blouse. “I don’t remember a lot, but she had brown ears like a rabbit. Light complexion. Other than that, I didn’t see her very well. I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>“Hey, it’s alright. This is still a good first step. And, what she said, did it seem like one syllable? It’s possible it was a name. It could all be a coincidence, but it’s still the best we’ve got as far as leads go.”</p>
<p>“I- I think it was one. It was quick.”</p>
<p>Blake finished her notes and set the notebook back down beside the bed. “I need a break for now, though. It’s been a long morning,” she mumbled and yawned, flopping back on her bed. The ghost simply looked at her with a puzzled expression but didn’t say anything. “Mm, make yourself comfortable. I would say don’t get into anything but, well, you know,” she chuckled and only got a scowl in return. “Sorry. But really, I could use a nap. You can try and do the same, I guess. Up to you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yang overheard Blake's voice as she entered the apartment and didn’t think much of it. She couldn’t quite make out what she was saying despite her urge to snoop. It wasn't uncommon for her to get calls from her family once in a while. They always seemed to worry about their only child being out in a large city like most parents would. "Hey, I'm home!" Yang shouted for her roommate to hear before slipping her shoes off and dropping her bag on the small table next to the door. "Did you get the mail?" She rifled through a small wicker basket on the table and sighed. Everything within it was junk mail from the day before. Blake had not gotten the mail yet. "I guess I'LL go get the mail," Yang grumbled and slipped her shoes back on, grabbed the mail key from the basket, and the door banged shut behind her. Their system for mail sorting wasn’t ideal. It wasn’t even a system so much as one day Blake stuck a basket on the table by the door to help keep all of the mail they got from spilling onto the floor.</p>
<p>"Love the girl, but dang is she spacey sometimes," Yang sighed and shook her head as she traipsed down the hall past neighboring apartments. The hall's carpeting had only been put in the previous year and the faint smell of new carpet still hung in the air. In the summer, management opened the entrance doors to get fresh air through, and later cleaned it with deodorizer compounds, but all it did was add to the scent. Eventually, everyone adjusted to the scent and didn't notice it anymore. To Yang, the scent reminded her of her parents' house when her family first moved out of the small apartment in the city and into a house in a quiet, small-town once her dad got a teaching job he had been after.  </p>
<p>At the bottom of the stairs and inset, series of brass looking mailboxes lined the walls. The fluorescent lighting overhead hummed and filled the area with an unsettling aura. Every day she passed through the same hall to reach her apartment, and every day she thought the same thing. The small front lobby always reminded Yang of something from a gritty crime film or a thriller. She thought it was the type of room a girl would get kidnapped in. The first two months of living in that building with Blake, she would always make Blake get the mail. Life away from her family was an adjustment for Yang to make. She blinked and looked around. "Guess I'm also spacey tonight, too," she sighed.</p>
<p>She stepped closer to the mailboxes and tried to fit the key into the lock. It took her a second since the lock itself was partially bent and to fit the key properly it had to be started then pushed in at an angle. Even with the key in, to unlock it required another couple jiggles of the key to get the turn started. Rattling mailbox doors echoed through the hall. Most of the mailboxes were like this and everyone in the building had just grown accustomed to the sound. Sometimes people would play a game of 'guess who that is' and try to figure out who was getting their mail based on the sound of their steps and time of day. Mrs. Wallace across the hall from Blake and Yang could be defined by her soft shuffling in her slippers and the rattle her beaded key-chains made as she walked down the hall. Andy from upstairs had a heavy step in his work boots and often got home between 6 and 7 at night and always gave two strong shakes to get his mailbox open. The others Yang couldn’t remember right away, but Blake was much better about figuring out who was who.</p>
<p>Yang removed the bundle of mail from the box and tried to shut it again. The mail carrier left everything wrapped in a rubber band so it fit nicely into the small mailbox which made it easier for Yang to hold the bundle under her arm as she struggled with the key. She jiggled the key three times before the turn finally started, and it took another jiggle of it to get the key out of the lock. On her way back she flipped through the mail. The newest issue of her mechanics magazine was wrapped around the outside of the bundle as if to protect the envelopes inside. She scanned her eyes over the cover and grinned. "Was hoping it'd show up soon." Yang tucked the magazine under her arm to flip through the envelopes.</p>
<p>"Let's see... Junk mail, junk mail..." Each envelope she looked over was moved to the back of the stack. "What... is this?" A washed-out looking red envelope with dark scuff marks over it from what Yang assumed was getting caught in a sorting machine. Turning the envelope over, the handwriting on the front made her roll her eyes. "Of course." She tucked the rest of the mail under her arm to open the apartment door. Once inside, key and mail went into the basket save for the letter and magazine. </p>
<p>"Why can't my mom call me like normal people do now?" A sigh issued forth as Yang opened the envelope. "What does she want now?" Yang’s relationship with Summer wasn’t strained. It was quite the opposite, actually. Ever since Yang’s own mother left her and her father right after she was born, Summer had stepped in to help. A couple of years later, her dad and Summer had Ruby. In all but biology, Summer was her actual mother as far as Yang was concerned. The only reason she even knew about her biological mother was years later when she had a change of heart and wanted to be part of Yang’s life again. </p>
<p>‘Sweetie,<br/>Your dad and I are doing fine. We miss you! And I hope the city isn't too dangerous. <br/>I wanted to tell you that your sister got engaged! We'll be throwing a party in a few weeks and you're invited.’</p>
<p>But the letters… That was something else. Despite Yang’s insistence that phone calls were easier, Summer continued to send her letters instead. The glaring issue with this was that the current letter in her hand seemed to be three weeks old and, based on the scuffs over the entire envelope, got stuck somewhere which caused it to arrive late. Without a date for the party, she was invited to, she wasn’t sure how far out it was and whether or not she even had time to request time off for it. Yang sighed and tucked the letter in her magazine before heading to her room to flop on her bed. She also wasn’t even sure she wanted to go to the party in the first place. It’s not that she wasn’t happy for her sister, but after what happened in her own love life with… She pushed the thought out of her head and rolled onto her side. </p>
<p>Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt with the ringing of her phone. It sounded muffled but she could instantly tell it was the tone she set for her sister and she shifted to pull the phone from her pocket and answer it. “Hey Rubes,” Yang sighed. </p>
<p>“Yang! Mom was getting worried since you never wrote her back and the party is tomorrow. Are you going to be able to make it?”</p>
<p>Yang groaned. “Whyyy does she keep only sending letters? I only got it today. I can’t make it tomorrow.” The line was quiet for a moment and she heard Ruby sigh. “Look, Ruby, I would if I could, but I can’t get the time off to just leave tomorrow. I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>“No, I understand. It’s okay.” </p>
<p>Yang could tell it wasn’t okay. The way her sister spoke was a telltale sign of her mood dropping. She always had the same droop to her shoulders that came across in her voice and it always tugged at Yang’s heart knowing her sister was sad. It wasn’t just about missing the party. It wasn’t just about not congratulating Ruby on her engagement yet. It was about not seeing any of her family in over a year. “I’ll- I’ll try to make a trip out there soon, okay?”</p>
<p>“Okay,” Ruby mumbled. It weighed on Yang again. “I’ll let mom and dad know, and I’ll let you go.”</p>
<p>“Ruby,” Yang tried to stop her sister from hanging up. She squeezed her eyes shut. Everything since the accident was difficult and Yang knew she pushed everyone away, but she couldn’t face the sympathies people had for her. “Congrats on the engagement. Give Penny a hug for me, okay?”</p>
<p>“I will. Love you,” Ruby mumbled again, but there was a happier note to it and it made Yang feel a touch less terrible. </p>
<p>“Love you, too, Rubes.”</p>
<p>Yang rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. With the sun setting and the light in her room quickly darkening she remembered she should start making dinner, but she couldn’t quite be bothered to get up just yet. Thoughts of her family and the guilt about pushing them away sat on her chest. She missed them. She really did. But… Yang couldn’t figure out what the hurdle exactly was that prevented her from approaching all of her issues. She didn’t feel prepared to sort through that heavy sense of loss. Her emotions that she refused to address. She closed her eyes and opted to stay in her darkened room for a bit more before getting up to make dinner.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Heyyyy everyone. Hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter. Starting to introduce some of the Yangst with this one since I apparently can't do anything without having characters having angst of some sort. </p>
<p>Anyway!<br/>I had a bit of a rough week this week, so I only just started writing my next story. It might be a little bit before I begin uploading it, though. The general plan, for now, is to keep working on this story, and when it finishes, get started on the first of the Sanative Empathy sequels. I know my upload schedule right now is Monday/Friday, but if need-be later on, I will add Wednesday into the mix. </p>
<p>Also, if you're finding me through this, be sure to check out my other story, Sanative Empathy. It's reaching its end and I uploaded chapter 26 out of 30 earlier this week. </p>
<p>As always, take care, everyone~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Come on, we’re heading out,” Blake motioned for the ghost to follow her. They had spent the night before going over previous encounters Blake had with other ghosts, spirits, and other similar beings for ideas of what to do. The current plan was to look for the mysterious faunus woman in the giant city which… Blake had to admit was almost as bad as having zero leads. At least she could somewhat figure out the area the ghost was in when she had the encounter. As she watched the spirit huff and follow along, she realized that it would be beneficial to have a name for the… woman? If that’s what she wanted to be called. She kept having to catch herself from just referring to her as ‘it’ or ‘the ghost’ or something to impersonal. </p>
<p>The spirit trailed behind Blake as she left the apartment into the hall. Without really paying attention, the ghost clipped through the edge of the door frame and through Blake’s shoulder, giving them both a startle. “Sorry,” she apologized quickly and stepped away from her. “I- I didn’t mean to-”</p>
<p>“It’s alright. That was definitely a wake-up, though,” Blake reassured her and locked the door. “Anyway, our first stop is the area you were at the other day. It shouldn’t take us long to get there, plus traffic over on this side isn’t too bad until later, anyway.” She readjusted her bag on her shoulder and made her way to the mailroom. This time she held the door open and let the ghost go through first to avoid another passing-through incident. To anyone else, it would appear Blake was holding the door open for nobody, and on some level, she knew that. But, after years of having odd encounters with things others couldn’t see, she got used to weird looks and people talking. </p>
<p>The walk down the street was a quiet one, neither person wanting to make conversation. Or, more specifically, neither one knowing what to say. The ghost was unsure of everything, feeling both out of place and like an annoyance, and Blake had to keep reminding herself that she was doing this because she cared. Just as Blake had said, only a few cars drove through the area which made crossing streets easier. It had taken a while for Blake to get used to that. Most everyone in the area walked since driving seemed to be an enormous inconvenience. She did have a small car for the occasional need that arose requiring travel out of the city, but it was few and far between that those instances cropped up. </p>
<p>“Hey, Blake?” </p>
<p>“Hmm?” Blake hummed, turning her head to look to the ghost next to her. Her name called her attention and snapped her thoughts away from trivial things such as the city and transportation. </p>
<p>“I know this can’t be convenient for you,” the spirit spoke with careful words. Blake could tell it was something she had put a lot of thought into by how her brow furrowed, and it was weighing on her mind. “But it means a lot to me that you’re doing this. Thank you.”</p>
<p>Blake simply shrugged a shoulder. “You seem the reasonable type. I’m more willing to help you than I have some in the past since you haven’t haunted me into doing it. Not all ghosts are friendly, and not all of them are willing to listen. I hate doing it, and I don’t say this as a threat, but there are… ways to handle less than friendly spirits.”</p>
<p>The ghost was quiet as she processed the information. </p>
<p>“Nothing permanently damaging, mind you, but there’s a method to push things back to their intended plane,” Blake added on, not wanting to scare the spirit with her. “It’s simply easier to do it this way since there’s way less confusion and unfolding the puzzle like this helps most cross back over.” They continued on with a moment of silence hanging over them. “If they want to.”</p>
<p>“If they want to?” </p>
<p>“Mm, yeah, it’s… complicated. We can go over that later, so don’t worry about it right now. Let’s focus on figuring out who you were. Or… are.”</p>
<p>“Right,” the ghost agreed. </p>
<p>As they approached the street that the two parted ways before they could see several people standing in front of a cafe talking. The group was far enough away that their conversation couldn’t be overheard to the human ear, but Blake could pick up bits and pieces. It was nothing more than talk about plans for what to do later in the day, though she saw another with faunus ears in the group. At first, she thought it could be who they were looking for and as they got closer her thought turned to hope. “Is that her?”</p>
<p>The ghost shook her head. “She was shorter and had rabbit ears, brown-furred, not… whatever those are,” she said and pointed. When Blake took another look she could see that the woman’s ears weren’t furred at all. “The place was right up here, I think?” Her statement came out as a question and Blake fell in line behind her as she led the way around the crowd of people to a small shop two doors down. </p>
<p>“This place isn’t open yet. We still have a bit.” </p>
<p>As Blake spoke, a gold car slowly drove past behind them. The ghost didn’t pay it any mind and was peering through the glass of the door despite having the ability to step inside unimpeded. The windows on the car were down, letting out a quiet melody of the song they were playing on the radio and, if she paid attention, Blake probably could have identified the song, but her attention was spent on watching the ghost. When she turned her head to look at the car she caught sight of a woman in sunglasses looking out the window in their direction, and a woman with large ears driving the car. Her ear flicked in its direction trying to pick up anything said while she reached out to grab the attention of the ghost. The whole moment took less than three seconds but for Blake, it felt like everything slowed to an anxious speed with her unable to do anything fast enough. The ghost wasn’t turning her head quickly enough, she couldn’t get the car’s attention fast enough if she tried, and in the extremely brief blur of sound, Blake clearly heard the word ‘Weiss’ spoken.</p>
<p>“Weiss?” she questioned aloud, wondering if she heard it right, and the ghost in front of her froze in place.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“This place isn’t open yet. We still have a bit,” Blake explained. The ghost could tell based on the lights being off inside, but she could still make out the layout from the natural light pouring in through the windows. The name of the place alone didn’t tell her what the place was, though she could almost read the menu boards behind the counter and it looked to be a deli of some sort. A small ‘be back at’ sign on the window had the clock hands pointing at 11 AM and, even if she were to be generous in the amount of time it took to walk there, the ghost could tell it was still before 10 AM</p>
<p>Inside the building, the ghost could see where the rabbit faunus stood before, and she could recall in detail the way her eyes widened in recognition. Although it could have been nothing, she felt like there was definitely something to it all. Having Blake with her was reassuring that she wasn’t completely crazy, wasn’t dreaming everything. She was, in fact, a ghost not meant for this world with no idea of how or why she was there. As an experiment, she touched her hand to the glass again and passed right through it with zero resistance as she expected to. She pulled her hand back through and tried to concentrate as she did before as she touched the glass again. When her hand passed through again, she sighed. </p>
<p>Just when her thoughts were beginning to stray too far from the present and the outside noises from the surrounding area drifted into nothing but white noise, she felt a sudden heat flood her shoulder and she jumped from the touch. She was about to turn around to see what Blake wanted when she heard… </p>
<p>“Weiss?”</p>
<p>The ghost froze. Weiss… That word sounded so familiar and sparked some deep, wiggling, shred of a memory in her. She could almost reach it in the depths of her mind. As she delved into the recesses of the unknown memories, it felt as if the world faded out around her. If Blake said anything more she couldn’t tell. But the word repeated in her head.</p>
<p>Weiss. </p>
<p>A name? Why did it sound familiar? It was… what the rabbit faunus was trying to say. It had to be. That look of recognition she had was definitely making everything click into place. </p>
<p>Weiss.</p>
<p>It was a name. Definitely a name. It was her name. </p>
<p>Weiss.</p>
<p>She was Weiss. She could remember being called that. Lovingly. Teasingly. Angrily. An array of emotions thrown into her name to grab her attention. </p>
<p>Weiss.</p>
<p>She spun on her heel to face Blake and it had to be known where her mind was going since the reaction the faunus with her had was mildly alarming. “Are you okay?” Blake’s question took a moment for her to process. </p>
<p>“What you just said. That- That word you just said. What was it? Weiss, right?”</p>
<p>“Weiss?” Blake’s expression stayed confused and she didn’t let her gaze wander from the ghost’s face. “There was a gold car with the person we were looking for driving it. She was with someone else and I heard that when they passed us. One of them said it as the car passed. They were looking this way. There was the rabbit faunus and someone with sunglasses that I didn’t get a good look at.”</p>
<p>The ghost nodded. “I’m almost positive it’s my name,” she spoke quietly. </p>
<p>“That’s big, though, right? Listen, I took note of the license plate number and I saw which way they turned up there. If you wanted, we can keep going after them.”</p>
<p>Weiss felt drained and she wasn’t sure why. There was a lot she had to think about and pick at to figure out now that they got this far. Did she want to keep going after the car? Absolutely. Did she feel able to right then? Absolutely not. She looked at Blake and opened her mouth to say something but closed it right after. If Blake had anything to say about Weiss’ expression, she kept them to herself as Weiss stood there. “We can also just head back and look up what we can now that we have your name and their plate number.”</p>
<p>Weiss nodded and frowned. She felt… She wasn’t sure what she felt. It wasn’t excitement, and it wasn’t hope like she expected to feel with this knowledge. Her name kept repeating in her head, but the pure despair in how it was spoken left her feeling defeated. The unknown woman with sunglasses was a big clue to this, she could tell. Or maybe she was focusing on the wrong thing. Was it the gold car? Or the rabbit faunus? Her thoughts swirled and her mind felt heavy and thoughts thick like bubbling tar. She knew somewhere deep in there was what she needed to know but didn’t know how to go about reaching it. </p>
<p>“Hey, Weiss, let’s just head back, alright? You don’t look so good right now. I think some rest will do us both some good, and I can look into what we do know, okay?” Blake offered in an attempt to reassure Weiss and to her credit, it did help. Weiss nodded and turned to head back down the street from where they came. When she turned around, she saw the group of people in front of the cafe begin entering it and clearing the sidewalk. The whole way back, all she could think of was what she was forgetting, and not what she could remember.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Figured I'd upload the next chapter as a Halloween treat. <br/>I'm sorry for the extended hiatus of updates on this, but I had a few issues happening that really put a damper on my energy levels. I overestimated my energy levels with my mood shifts and couldn't keep up with the 2 or 3 days of uploading a week. But! With Sanative Empathy coming to a close on Monday, Esoteric Banalities is set to be the next project to get my upload attention! </p>
<p>Anyway!<br/>I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Lots of stuff picking up soon~</p>
<p>And, if you're finding me through this, I also have another story, Sanative Empathy, that is almost done (with more promised for the future!). ♥</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>With a loud grumble, Yang reached out to blindly bat at her alarm until she hit the snooze button and pulled the blankets over her head. The mop of blond locks atop her head spilled out over her pillow and hung off the edge of her bed as she turned on her side to face away from the window. On some deeper level, she knew the reason it was so cold in the apartment was her stubborn insistence on turning the heat down at night when she and Blake were in bed to save money, but she was more in the mood to curse about it than anything. </p>
<p>After getting comfortable once more and her mind settled, warmth beginning to settle into her muscles again, and started to drift to sleep again, the alarm cut through all of that and roused her once more. Yang groaned and reached out to hit the snooze button again but her fingers tipped it over sending the alarm clock falling to the floor and skidding under her bed. She considered leaving it and trying to sleep through the noise, burrowing deeper into her blankets, but the sound came up through the mattress and she knew she wouldn’t be able to entirely push the sound from her mind. </p>
<p>Yang sat up and opened her eyes in a begrudging fashion, hair a mess over her face and shoulders and back, and kicked her feet over the edge. As she got up and knelt down to pull the alarm clock from under her bed she finally saw the time on the clock and sighed. Of course, she had set the alarm for later anticipating how much she needed to sleep. And of course, hitting snooze pushed her to have less time getting ready. And of course, she had to get ready for work and be out the door in half an hour. Of course. </p>
<p>She shut the alarm off and set it back on her nightstand. With a stretch and loud popping of her joints and stumbled to her dresser to where she at least remembered to set her work clothes on top knowing this would happen. She didn’t need to spend many thoughts getting dressed then because she already did the thinking the night before. </p>
<p>Dressed and standing, she moved on to phase two of getting ready. Taming her hair. Shuffling into the hall she noticed that Blake’s door was open and she was already gone for the day. Did she have work early? Yang wasn’t sure. She didn’t know what was going on with that girl lately. Spending most of her days outside the apartment didn’t seem like her typical behavior, but… Then again… Yang remembered her doing similar things in the past. She just hoped that whatever it was she was doing wouldn’t get her into any trouble. After the incident with Adam before, Yang had grown more protective of Blake. And the apartment in general. With permission from the building management, she went ahead and installed a chain lock for when they were home at night. </p>
<p>Her thoughts were getting off track. Yang stood in the bathroom and checked herself out in the mirror. The bags under her eyes would lessen after she woke up some more, she was sure of it. At least it looked like she slept well enough despite everything. That was the important part. The fewer questions she got asking if she was okay, the better things were for everyone. Of course, she wasn’t okay. Not with how things went before… She wasn’t okay for a few years. She got better at managing, but she wasn’t over everything. </p>
<p>Yang frowned and steered her thoughts back to the morning. Brushing her hair. Right. It didn’t take long and her hair was in order once more. Calling that good, she moved to the kitchen to figure out something to eat before leaving only to find a toasted bagel sitting there for her and a now-cold mug of tea. It seemed Blake anticipated this exact situation happening as well and left her something to speed things up. Or maybe it was a thank you for Yang handling a lot of the dinner cooking. Either way, she appreciated it. It took only a minute to heat the tea up again and she sat and ate the bagel while scrolling through things on her phone. None of it was important. Fluff news pieces about the city. Stores opening, construction of a new wing on the college, something about stray dogs around the city. Nothing important. </p>
<p>Food in her stomach. Caffeine waking her more. Dressed and ready. Yang pulled her boots on, grabbed her keys from the table, slung her bag over her shoulder, and left for work. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Who knew this area had such a large German community?” Blake mumbled as she and Weiss sat in front of a stack of obituaries they had compiled at the library. “And that Weiss was such a common name among them? Jeez.” Blake’s ears flicked in annoyance, but she kept looking. The two of them didn’t even know if Weiss was the ghost’s first name or last name which made the net they cast that much larger in pulling in results. </p>
<p>“We’ve already ruled out this stack, right?” Weiss asked and set her hand through a pile of papers between the two of them. </p>
<p>“Hmm?” Blake looked up. “Oh, yeah,” she answered and set another sheet of paper on the stack, through Weiss’ arm. </p>
<p>“Excuse you,” Weiss mumbled and frowned. </p>
<p>“You’re the one who stuck your arm there,” Blake laughed. </p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah,” the ghost grumbled. </p>
<p>The pair had been searching all morning, choosing to get up and over to the library as soon as it opened. Blake wanted to utilize as much of the morning as she could before work in the afternoon because she just knew that no matter what, she would be exhausted afterward. Even slow days at work were tiring. Blake looked up from the list in front of her and watched Weiss reading over papers spread out on the table. They had made sure to secure a table away from the rest so as to not be disturbed while they worked and to attract less suspicion if they had to discuss anything. From her experience, talking with ghosts in public always elicited stares from people overhearing her until she pretended to be talking with a wireless device, going so far as to constantly wear one during ghost researching. She wished she could have done that while working with Weiss, but Blake was unable to locate the device again. </p>
<p>Weiss and Blake’s research came up with more results than they could handle going back a hundred years for the city and surrounding areas. What they hoped would be a simple matter wound up being more complicated than either anticipated since it seemed the city was founded by German settlers and had a rich history that made everything more confusing. With a little narrowing down of specifications, the two managed to get the list of possibilities down to a reasonable list of fifty names with an auxiliary list of another fifty possibilities that were in a ‘maybe’ category. </p>
<p>Without having access to license plate records, the gold car didn’t do them much good in honing in on who the women in the car were. It would take going through neighborhoods and hoping one of them was the correct neighborhood, at the correct time of day for the owner of it to be home, and hope the owner parked somewhere visible and not in a closed garage or restricted parking structure. The reasons in Blake’s mind to not go on a wild chase after a golden car were too many to list. Thankfully Weiss understood and felt the same way. They would have to figure that area of things out later. She looked at her phone and noted the time.</p>
<p>“I’ve got to get ready for work. Let’s pack up here and we can go over more of this tomorrow, alright?” Blake looked over to Weiss and waited for a reply. When she got a nod of acknowledgment back, she began to shuffle papers together into a neat stack and stick them in folders. She at least brought some things with her for the organization for research. The previous times she didn’t she regretted it later. Especially after having to redo all of the sortings and organizing again one time. Working with Weiss, though, despite all of the setbacks… Blake didn’t hate it. She was polite enough and cooperative enough to make things go some manner of smooth despite all of the setbacks they encountered. </p>
<p>“We can stick this list in the ‘ruled out’ pile,” Weiss mumbled and looked over to Blake. </p>
<p>It took Blake a second to remember she needed to take the paper and do it herself. “Right,” she smiled. “Sorry.” She finished putting everything away and tucked into her bag. “I’ve gotta run, but I’ll, uh, I’ll see you after I get off work,” she told the ghost and stood from her seat, shouldering her bag. </p>
<p>Weiss smiled and waved her on to go and get to work. “See you tonight then.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The midday sun reached its peak and the world felt as warm as it was going to that day Velvet surmised. She looked up to see the sky free of clouds and the brilliant blues of the atmosphere a blinding reminder of how large the sky overhead was when she stepped out of her car. A quick press of a button on her key fob and the vehicle honked in recognition, locking the doors. The sun felt comforting on her face and she stretched. After sitting in the car through traffic on her way back home, being able to not feel so cooped up was a blessing. She reached her hands towards the sky and her long rabbit ears stood straight up, finally being able to not be forced down to fit in the car. With a small wiggle, she finished her stretch and walked around the back of the car to the trunk. </p>
<p>Velvet spent the better part of the morning running errands in the city. Coco had needed her to pick up something from the post office and she herself needed to grab a few things from a specialty store downtown. Or, at least, she would argue she needed it. There was only one salon where she could get the haircare products she used to keep her ears as soft as she did and there was no way she was going to go without it if she could help it. On her way back home, she decided to stop by the market and grab things to make a vegetable stew for dinner. </p>
<p>It only took the woman a moment to grab everything from the car and close the trunk. The front door to the small house was quickly approached, key in hand, and opened. Already feeling the warmth of being inside, she wanted to put everything away and get out of her jacket as soon as she could. </p>
<p>Her shoes slipped off easy enough, the box for Coco set aside, her haircare stuff tucked in the bathroom, and the food into the kitchen. Velvet pressed a few buttons on her phone and soft music began playing through speakers in the kitchen while she set about washing and preparing things for a slow simmer for dinner. Humming to herself as she worked, her thoughts wandered to the encounter she had days before. Despite Coco telling her, it had to just be a trick of the light, someone’s reflection on the glass, she’d have sworn it was Weiss she saw. Even in those couple seconds, she saw her, she was certain it was her. So certain that she had to drag Coco with her to drive past the area again and tell her about it. </p>
<p>Did she regret bringing up past hurts like that? Of course, she did. But Velvet and Coco had agreed long before to be open about their feelings and worries. In the time following everything that happened, it was the only way they could carry on. Velvet wouldn’t want to see Coco go down that path again and she would be sure to keep her informed so she herself wouldn’t tumble down into despair either. </p>
<p>When the two of them passed by the little deli though, she could remember Coco asking if that was the place she saw Weiss. There was another woman there that Velvet swore stared at them as they passed by, though Coco insisted it was a coincidence. Anyone would have turned to look at a car slowing and gawking at where they were standing, she reassured the faunus woman. </p>
<p>Velvet wanted to believe her. She really did. But… Something still didn’t sit right with her.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Back on track with Esoteric Banalities updates! <br/>I apologize for the brief hiatus in updates as I was getting everything together on my end. </p>
<p>Anyway! I hope you're all enjoying this so far. I had a lot of fun planning it all out and putting the pieces into place, and I hope that all shows. ♥</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Surprise bonus chapter this week!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The chatter of models in the break room usually didn’t bother Coco much while she was at work, but on that specific day, it seemed to cloud her thinking. The whole business with Weiss the week before left her feeling something she couldn’t quite explain. Maybe it was the way Velvet had broached the topic. Maybe it was the way she took her past the deli that she frequently brought Coco lunch from, saying it was there she saw the dead girl. It left her in a strange mood, regardless, and she couldn’t handle the idle talk in the breakroom at the studio. She took her coffee to an unused set in the far corner of the building away from the others so she could think. </p>
<p>She didn’t think it was guilt that made her feel the way she did anymore. It had been a long time, but she was finally letting go of that. The car accident certainly wasn’t her fault, but that of the drunk driver running the light, going through two lanes of traffic. Despite that, she still felt responsible for Weiss’ death. Coco was the one driving the car. Coco was the one who insisted she take Weiss to the boutique she worked at to get an early look at new designs they had just gotten in. </p>
<p>Coco remembered the designs well. It was her first big break. Somewhere actually was stocking and selling her designs and she wanted to show off. She had already shown Velvet and their other friends the night before, but Weiss was busy with something. Details from three years ago slipped her mind, but that drive was crystal clear. Bright and early. The sun had just risen. They stopped to get coffee before heading to the store, the owner agreeing to let them in early to see the line. She didn’t remember even hearing the squeal of brakes. It happened fast. The impact spun the car around into a light pole and… </p>
<p>She shook her head and the sound of someone approaching pulled her from her thoughts. </p>
<p>“Not feeling social today?” </p>
<p>Coco looked up and saw another of the designers before her. She had to crane her neck higher to see his face. Yatsuhashi. “Mm, not today,” she chuckled and patted the seat next to her for him to sit. </p>
<p>“I get the same feeling,” he laughed. “It’s that time of year, though. You doing okay?”</p>
<p>Coco turned to look at the tall man while he sat down. “I think so. I will be. But, this isn’t about that exactly.”</p>
<p>“What’s it about then?” Yatsuhashi relaxed back on the seat and looked over to Coco. </p>
<p>“It’s something Velvet brought up the other day. She thought she saw her while she was out and it’s just got me thinking about everything again.” She paused and saw that her friend was about to say something, so she cut in again. “Again, I’ve started to let that go. Trust me. I’d be a whole lot worse right now if I didn’t.” She took a drink from her coffee and a small smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. “Besides, you and Velvs wouldn’t let me fall even if I tried.”</p>
<p>The man next to her laughed and shrugged a shoulder. “It’s true. We can be stubborn when we care.”</p>
<p>Coco snorted in amusement. “It only took what? A thousand times of telling me it wasn’t my fault for it to sink in?” A grin grew on her face. “Thanks, by the way.”</p>
<p>Yatsuhashi reached over and pat Coco’s shoulder. “You’d do the same for us,” he smiled. </p>
<p>Coco rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s finish the fittings so we can wrap up here. I’m not so big on this side of things. Plus I’m midway through designing the pieces for next season and want to get back to that,” she laughed. </p>
<p>The tall man stood back up and reached a hand down to help Coco up. “Let’s get to it, then,” he smiled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The rain sounded out in a continuous staccato against the pavement as winds whipped down alleys, stirring up debris, pushing it out into the main streets. Storms near the bay always picked up during the later months but they never passed a level of severity to deter the locals from their day-to-day. The weather was something that only happened; it didn't change the fact errands needed to be run and jobs needed to be worked. The beachgoers moved a bit further inland, from the sand to the restaurants and clubs that lined the shore and piers. No matter the weather, though, the little Italian restaurant just outside of downtown, run by an aging couple, was never busy. </p>
<p>Blake sighed as she looked out the window to the patio seating. The winds and rain had blown leaves and petals from the plants back there everywhere and she knew one of the bussers was going to have to go back there the next day with a broom to sweep up if the storm let up. It was unfortunate, Blake thought since the leaves and petals gave the red brick a nice contrasting splash of color. A lilting voice backed by smooth piano and strings belted from inset speakers above the dining area. The empty dining area. The last customers of the evening had left nearly half an hour earlier and Blake assumed they were the last ones for the evening. With the dark of night settling in alongside the rain, most of the locals went to their go-to locations, and those from out of town would stick near the center of downtown, not daring to venture out away from the hum of the city. </p>
<p>While Blake’s back was turned as she watched the winds trounce the shrubs on the patio, a ghostly figure slid up to the podium behind her. "Blake, it's Yang, sh-" Blake let out a startled gasp, jumped, and spun around, not expecting anyone since the front bells didn’t ring. Weiss had completely caught her off guard. </p>
<p>"Holy- Weiss. You can't come around front of me and approach me like a normal person? Jeez! What is it?" Blake’s heart pounded in her chest while she tried to steady herself again. Despite her experience with stuff like this, it never got easier with just how silent spirits were. Her heightened feline hearing did her no favors when it came to ghosts.</p>
<p>"You need to get home. I tried. I can't." The ghost swished her hand through the front podium to illustrate her point, her voice full of urgency. "Yang. She’s hurt. Go. Now."</p>
<p>Blake's eyes widened. "What happ-"</p>
<p>"Call an ambulance and get back. Now. Please," Weiss urged her.</p>
<p>Blake nodded while turning toward the kitchen and office area. She was already pulling out her phone while calling out. "Rosa?" Blake’s voice rang out as she rushed towards the back. "Rosa, I ne-"</p>
<p>The elderly woman peeked her head out of the back office in confusion, but upon seeing how distraught the girl had become, she rushed out to meet her. "What is it, dear?"</p>
<p>"Rosa, I need to go. I got a message that Yang's been hurt. I've gotta make sure she gets to the hospital." The explanation wasn’t exactly a lie. She found it easiest to leave it as getting a message when talking to others about how she found out about certain things a ghost had told her.</p>
<p>Rosa raised a hand to her mouth and took a half step back out of shock, her ears wiggling atop her head as she processed the information. "Of- of course. I'll rush you back home after I call an ambulance, so grab your things. We’ll take off in just a moment.” Rosa had turned back to the office and was dialing the phone when she had to ask another question. “It's apartment number one-one-seven, right?" Blake nodded and stepped towards Rosa to hug her. “What happened? What should I tell them?” </p>
<p>Blake froze a moment but Weiss approached after hearing the conversation. “She fell in the shower,” the ghost whispered.</p>
<p>“She fell in the shower,” Blake repeated, only then processing what she was told. She turned her head to Weiss and opened her eyes wider, about to ask a question, but Weiss recognized the look in her eyes. </p>
<p>“The water’s off, she’s not drowning,” Weiss reassured her which prevented Blake from tipping into a panic. “She fell getting out.”</p>
<p>“Okay, grab your things, I’ll call, and we can head over,” Rosa reassured Blake.</p>
<p>"Thank you,” Blake mumbled and gathered her purse from the back office and put on her jacket. Her breathing came out shaky and she took a few slow, deep breaths to try and calm her nerves. Yang would be okay, right? She had a bunch of questions for Weiss but she couldn’t ask them there in front of her bosses without looking suspicious. When she heard Rosa on the phone, she wandered to the front area to wait and stare at the rain falling while Rosa finished the call. </p>
<p>Weiss followed and moved through the wall behind Blake, around to her front, and waved a hand in front of her to not startle her like before. She quietly whispered to her, "Should I go back and wait?"</p>
<p>Blake jumped at the sudden sound of Weiss’ voice from in front her, but with a breath of relief, she couldn’t scold the girl for approaching her from the front this time. Especially after waving to try and get her attention. She was also courteous enough to not touch her and give her a shock. Blake looked up at Weiss to face her. "Rosa's calling for an ambulance now and then she's going to drive me back home. If you can somehow get there faster than us, please do."</p>
<p>“Alright,” Weiss nodded and took off, passing through the door as she left. Blake watched her disappear into the rain and darkness, out of sight. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The entire car ride, Blake worried. She sent a message to Yang in the off-chance she had her phone with her, not thinking the logistics of everything through first. It wasn’t until they got closer that Blake’s mind began to worry more. If she was in the shower, of course, she wouldn’t have her phone on her. And if she fell, why would she reply to a text message to Blake without calling for help? What if she couldn’t call for help because she was too injured? Was she even conscious? Weiss mentioned she wasn’t in danger of drowning, but that still didn’t make her feel a ton better. </p>
<p>Rosa and Blake made it back to the apartment shortly before the ambulance arrived. She rushed into the building, Rosa following behind her, and she fumbled with her keys to open the door. A reassuring hand on Blake’s arm from the older woman helped steady her nerves and let her unlock the door. </p>
<p>“Yang?” Blake shouted, rounding the corner to the hall and bathroom. The door was closed, locked. “Yang?” Blake knocked on the door. </p>
<p>Weiss stood in the hall and looked worried. “She can’t reach the doorknob. You might have to pry it open.”</p>
<p>“Hey,” a strained groan sounded out. Blake could hear the woman inside cry in pain. “Can- can you- get the door?”</p>
<p>She thanked the shitty building for once as she rushed to the kitchen. Beneath the sink was a small toolbox that Yang had gotten for home repairs. She dug through it in search of the cheap pry bar, hoping it would be enough to pop the door open. When she went back, Rosa followed her to help but stood back and let Blake work. </p>
<p>A loud knock on the front door alerted everyone and Rosa left to let the emergency workers in as Blake managed to slide the edge of the pry bar in the door frame, and with a rough shake, the door slid open. Weiss slipped through the wall to meed Blake on the other side as the faunus woman cautiously pushed the door open to see Yang on the floor, a towel draped over her torso and a grimace of pain on her face. “Hey, it’s alright. There’s paramedics out there. It’s gonna be okay,” Blake reassured her and knelt beside her. </p>
<p>Yang managed a pained laugh and forced a smile. “I might be a bit under-dressed to have guests here,” she joked. </p>
<p>Weiss stood anxiously by and watched the scene unfold. Blake was asked to move out of the way and let the paramedics work on assessing Yang’s injuries. The fact she was conscious was big, and Blake at least felt confident that, despite the pain on her face, Yang making a joke was a good sign. </p>
<p>When loaded onto a stretcher and being brought out of the bathroom, Blake couldn’t help but notice a look of confusion on Yang’s face as she looked to the mirror. Almost like she saw something there in the foggy reflection. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was a long night. Blake thanked Rosa for taking her to and from the hospital, as well as bringing Yang back home as well with her. Angelo called at one point to see how everything was going and Blake was thankful for that. Rosa and Angelo had become a second set of parents for her in the city and she was thankful for everything they did for her. It definitely made the difficulty of being away from her actual parents that much easier to bear. </p>
<p>Blake sprawled out on the couch in the front room. She had gotten Yang to bed sometime around one in the morning after propping her up so she could rest easy. A cracked collarbone and dislocated shoulder were all she had from the fall, thankfully, but it was still enough to worry about in Blake’s mind. </p>
<p>Weiss settled onto the floor next to the couch. “She just fell asleep,” she reassured Blake. </p>
<p>“Good,” Blake sighed in relief. </p>
<p>“Are… are you okay, though?” came the question from the ghost.</p>
<p>“I’ll be alright. Just exhausted after all of this. I don’t like the hospital.”</p>
<p>“I’m not much of a fan, either,” Weiss commented, and it took a moment for Blake to process the attempt at humor and let out a small huff in amusement. “She seems strong, though. She’ll be okay.”</p>
<p>“I know. I know,” Blake sighed and closed her eyes. </p>
<p>“Hey, Blake.”</p>
<p>“Hmm?” Blake hummed without opening her eyes. </p>
<p>“You should go to bed. You’ll feel better than sleeping on the couch,” Weiss said with confidence that comes from experience. </p>
<p>With a groan, Blake sat up and opened her eyes again. “Right,” she mumbled and got up to traipse off to her room. Weiss only watched her go, and when she turned the light off to the room leaving the ghost in the darkness, she still sat on the floor.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I've been on a roll this month so far with NaNoWriMo so I figured I'd celebrate by uploading another chapter of EB for everyone! Currently over the halfway mark for the 50k goal, and still going, going, going. </p>
<p>The last two chapters may have been a little slow, but hopefully still enjoyable. </p>
<p>Little bit of news... I'm going to have another story I'll begin uploading soon, so keep an eye out for Quotidian Solicitude within the next week. <br/>And, don't worry! I'm still working on a sequel to Sanative Empathy, and a sequel to Esoteric Banalities. Plenty more to come~!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hello?” Yang answered her phone. </p><p>Weiss wandered into the front room from Blake’s room to see Yang sitting on the couch with her phone in hand. Ever since the accident, Weiss took it upon herself to watch out for Yang and make sure nothing else happened. She first agreed to do it for Blake’s sake, promising to let Blake know at work if anything major happened similar to the first fall, but after a while, she was doing it to make herself feel better, too. If she were being honest, Weiss would admit that the blond was growing on her, though if actually asked she would deny it, claiming to only be doing this as a favor for Blake. </p><p>“Hey, Ruby, what’s up?” A tone of tired defeat hung in the air while Yang spoke. From what she could gather in her limited snooping, Ruby was Yang’s sister and was to be married. When that was, she wasn’t sure. She stood behind the couch and tried to listen in on the conversation but couldn’t quite hear what Ruby was saying. Not wanting to risk touching Yang, Weiss kept a little bit of distance between them. </p><p>“I’m doing alright. Been busy.”</p><p>Something about how Yang was talking with Ruby seemed very disingenuous and Weiss couldn’t put her finger on it. It wasn’t just the words she said, but how she said them. </p><p>“It is getting close, isn’t it? I guess I didn’t realize,” Yang spoke again, answering something Weiss had no clue the context of, but the growing weight of defeat showing on the blond’s face hurt to look at. “I’ll be fine, though.” </p><p>Weiss wished she could hear what Ruby was saying. The unknowing grew into a pit in her stomach as time passed without Yang speaking. Finally… “I- No, I didn’t get the invitation yet,” Yang lied. </p><p>Weiss remembered seeing the unopened envelope sitting in Yang’s room on her nightstand. She wasn’t sure why Yang was so insistent on putting the entire thing off. Anything she said about her sister in the past few days seemed complimentary and like she thought highly of her, so it wasn’t that she didn’t like her. The situation was a mystery that Weiss wasn’t sure what to make of it. She’d have to remember to talk to Blake about it later. </p><p>Yang sighed and shifted on the couch to a more comfortable position. With the brace strapping her arm to her chest her mobility seemed rather hampered. Watching her get around the apartment and do general things was rather mildly anxiety-inducing Weiss found. All the times she wanted to step in and help she realized just how powerless she was as a spirit. </p><p>“Just… tell mom I’m not sure if I can make it.” </p><p>Weiss wandered over to sit on the floor near the couch and listen. </p><p>“I know it’s a big day. I wish I could, too, but work’s been busy.”</p><p>Weiss knew that was another lie. Each lie Yang told drained the energy from her more and more. </p><p>“I’ve gotta do a few things, but tell Penny I said ‘hi’ and hug mom and dad for me, okay?” Yang’s voice grew softer and the look of exhaustion in her eyes looked heavy. “Love you, too, Rubes.” And with that, Yang hung up the phone. She tossed it on the couch next to her and leaned her head back with her eyes closed, breathing deeply. </p><p>Yang looked like she needed a hug and, despite not knowing her that well, Weiss wished she could give her one. Knowing she couldn’t, she stayed put and watched over her, ready to get Blake should the need arise. For her part, Yang bounced back easy enough and turned the TV on to distract herself, the ghost figured. Soon enough, the blond had her eyes closed and was taking a nap to the ambient sound the shows provided. </p><p> </p><p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p><p> </p><p>While the lunch rush dwindled, Blake took care to at least appear attentive while customers were in the dining area. Some days it took more effort than others as the general tone of the restaurant stayed relaxed and homey as her bosses wanted. But with the shift in the weather to sunshine the last couple days, the sunlight filled the dining area with a warm and relaxed glow which made Blake feel a bit sleepier than usual. Especially after her sleep went down in quality. </p><p>Arrangements in the apartment changed in ways she didn’t expect them to with Weiss staying there. Ground rules had to be set for when was appropriate for her to be in Blake’s room, and they came to the conclusion that when the door was shut, Weiss was to remain out. It worked for the most part, but after Yang’s accident, Blake was on edge. She didn’t want to not hear her if she needed anything so she started keeping her door open. Weiss started keeping an ear out for Yang needing anything so she could get Blake if the faunus didn’t wake up on time. The presence of someone nearby like that, the worry of ‘what ifs,’ and the added pressure of trying to aid Weiss culminated into a series of restlessly slept nights. </p><p>This all was why when the bell on the door jingled to alert staff of customers, Blake jolted awake after having dozed off leaning against the front podium. </p><p>“Welcome,” Blake greeted the two people who entered only to pause when a flash of recognition crossed her mind, seeing familiar green hair and red eyes. </p><p>“Blake? It’s definitely been a while,” the woman smiled.</p><p>“It really has. Um, how- how’ve you been Emerald?”</p><p>“Oh, please, Em is fine. And I’ve been good. Oh, this is Mercury,” Emerald laughed and turned to introduce the gentleman with silver hair. From Blake’s guess, he had to be around their age, mid to late twenties. </p><p>Mercury lightly nudged Emerald and nodded his head toward the dining area. The cue wasn’t missed by Blake who felt mildly embarrassed about his impatience and her forgetting to start seating them. She grabbed two menus from the podium and stepped around. “Let’s get you two a table,” Blake said while stepping out from her station to guide the two. A quick scan around the room and Blake spotted one of the open, non-wobbly tables and brought them to it. </p><p>Mercury took a seat and remained quiet, only looking between Blake and Emerald with a sense of skepticism. It was clear there was something bothering him, but he was at least polite enough to not voice it aloud. Or, Blake thought so. Emerald, though, took a seat opposite him and looked up to Blake. “We just got into the city, but we should totally catch up later. You’ve still got my number, right? It’s the same I had in college.” </p><p>“If it’s not in my phone, I still have my address book that should have it somewhere,” Blake replied. “How long are you in town for?”</p><p>Emerald glanced at Mercury who only shrugged at her. </p><p>“We’re not sure yet, but at least a few weeks. We’ll see how things go. Maybe next weekend we can figure something out?”</p><p>“Sure, that would be great.” Blake turned her left ear toward the kitchen area, hearing the server on hand approaching. “Anyway, I’m going to hand you over to Ezra who will be your server.” She smiled and bowed her head just as the other worker arrived, taking the opportunity to head back to the podium. </p><p>It had been years since she saw Emerald. From what Blake could remember, she and Emerald weren’t the closest of friends. When they graduated, it was as if they stopped existing to each other. Though… They did get along pretty well in class, and the one year they spent as roommates in the dorms. Maybe it would be good to reconnect, even with Yang’s pestering that would follow. It’s not like Blake had that many friends to start with, and Emerald was only in town for a temporary amount of time. She glanced over to the table to see Mercury and Emerald chatting. Mercury had loosened up a bit but was still looking terse and a little tense. Maybe he was just like that. </p><p>Blake checked the clock on her phone and sighed when she still had two hours to go. She needed a nap, but if she was going to be getting home that late in the day, she was better off waiting for bed proper. Confident that nobody would come in for a bit, she wandered back to the kitchen to get some tea to wake up. Angelo busied himself cooking alongside the other chef in making food for the guests. He only spared Blake a glance and smile when she walked in, returning his attention to cooking. </p><p>“Just grabbing a drink,” Blake reassured him and he waved her off. </p><p>“Oh, I’m not worried,” Angelo laughed.</p><p>Hot water ran through the small coffee maker and filled a mug Blake stuck underneath it. She dug through a pantry area for the tea selection and finished preparing it before heading back out to the front. Passing through a small section of the dining area again, Blake overheard a snippet of what Emerald and Mercury were saying.</p><p>“-even believe you were friends with her,” Mercury huffed in amusement.</p><p>“It was years ago, okay? She was weird back then, and she’s probably still weird,” Emerald tried to explain.</p><p>“Why did you even ask her to do something, then?”</p><p>“I don’t know. It seemed like the polite thing to do!” Emerald defended. </p><p>“Yeah, well, you’ll be spending the day with the weirdo waitress solo,” Mercury rolled his eyes. </p><p>It was Emerald’s turn to huff in amusement. “Oh please, she’s not that bad.” While correcting him, her tone didn’t sound sincere. </p><p>It was enough for Blake, though. She returned to the kitchen area, her heart rate spiking as a pit grew in her stomach. She just wanted to avoid them the rest of the time they were there. When out of sight of the dining area, she leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. Her ears laid flat on her head and kept telling herself not to cry. It wasn’t the first time someone said something rude about her ears, but overhearing it like that was something else. She jumped when she felt a hand touch her arm, but it was only Rosa. </p><p>“Come into the office, dear,” the older woman spoke, grabbing Blake by the elbow to lead her, but Blake stopped.</p><p>“The front, though,” she protested.</p><p>Rosa shook her head and turned to Ezra who was hanging out in the kitchen. “Go watch the front for a little bit.” Without questioning it, Ezra nodded and walked out to the dining area while Rosa finished dragging Blake into the office. “Just take a seat and relax. Take your break.”</p><p>Not wanting to argue, Blake sat in one of the chairs and held her mug in her hands. </p><p>“We’ll take care of things out there until they leave,” Rose smiled. Blake raised her ears surprised at that statement. “Please, you’re not the only one with decent hearing.” Rosa’s ears wiggled and she winked. “Plus, that boy has a loudmouth. Just asking for trouble if you ask me,” she frowned. </p><p>Blake laughed. “Thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p><p> </p><p>“I’m home,” Blake announced when she entered the apartment, dropping her keys on the small table by the door with her bag. Her voice carried through the apartment and both Yang and Weiss greeted her. </p><p>“So, how was work?” Yang asked in a playful tone and Blake only rolled her eyes with her ears flattening. “That good, huh?”</p><p>Weiss approached her with a concerned look on her face. “What happened?”</p><p>“Ugh, just… Tired,” Blake mumbled.</p><p>“That doesn’t look like just tired,” Yang told her and took a moment to get up from the couch. Blake noticed she was getting around the house a bit easier, adapting to only using one arm. “Who did what? Who do I have to beat up?” She flexed her good arm with a scowl which caused Blake to laugh. </p><p>“Nah, nothing like that. Well-” Blake pretended to think. “Nah, it’s fine,” she laughed again, some of the day’s weight already lessening. “Someone I used to be friends with came in with her boyfriend? Friend? I’m not sure. The guy was a jerk, and she just went along with it,” Blake sighed. “Called me a weirdo,” she muttered. “But, she invited me to hang out next weekend.”</p><p>“Don’t do it,” both Yang and Weiss said in near unison, their tones both holding a stern edge to them.</p><p>“I- jeez. I’m not going to,” she laughed again. If she didn’t know better, it seemed as if both Yang and Weiss were in sync. </p><p>“Good,” Yang breathed and her posture relaxed. At the admission, Weiss relaxed as well. </p><p>“Anyway, I don’t feel like cooking, and I don’t trust you to do it one-handed, so I’m going to call in a to-go order from across the street then take a bath. You’re on door duty,” Blake told Yang. </p><p>“Can do,” the blond grinned.</p><p>Blake shook her head at the energy Yang seemed to have and walked to her room, already pulling out her phone and dialing.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yang over there ready to throw hands. Or... hand in this case. </p><p>Been busy, busy, busy with NaNoWriMo this month so far, and I have to say... I've already got a sequel for this story mostly plotted out that I'm a bit excited for, as well as rough ideas for a third part to come later. </p><p>Anyway! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. And if you didn't know, I have the first chapter of Quotidian Solicitude uploaded and the second will go up in a few days, so if you're looking for a story where the author has been venting out some big trans and big gay feelings, feel free to check it out! </p><p>Thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Weiss sat on the floor in the doorway to Blake’s room, the soft sounds of her sleeping providing Weiss with enough comfort that things would be okay. In the room, a little further down the hall she could hear Yang awake and doing something. She wasn’t curious enough to figure out, content with her place in the doorway, and satisfied by the sounds of normalcy that filled the apartment. The spirit felt reassured that Yang didn’t need any help and her duty to Blake was being fulfilled. But more than that, she felt it was something she wanted to do, too. Looking after the two women seemed to give her some manner of purpose lately when before, her days as far back as she could actually remember, had been filled with confusion and loss.</p>
<p>A week and a half passed since Yang’s slip in the shower and it felt like very little was done in regards to helping Weiss figure everything out but… She felt okay with this. The previous anxiety of figuring out who she was lessened to mere questions. Overwhelming confusion became new experiences and learning. Weiss felt confident that she was handling things as best she could. Or maybe it was a manner of confidence in the situation because Blake was the one helping her. Weiss wasn’t sure. She turned her head to watch the sleeping form of the faunus woman while the room gradually grew brighter the longer the day progressed. </p>
<p>She couldn’t even explain what they accomplished in the time they spent together lately. Weiss would spend the day at the house, keeping an eye on Yang while also doing a bit of her own snooping on the woman, listening in on conversations, poking through belongings as best she could in her non-corporeal form. But mostly it was sitting in the same room with her while she went about her day. Calls to her work to figure out scheduling and days off for her recovery. Another call from Ruby where they talked about her accident. A lot of action movies. Foreign samurai and kung-fu movies. Random daytime television while she took naps. Weiss could conclude that Yang did a lot of nothing, but at least she wasn’t doing anything that she needed to contact Blake over. Weiss almost enjoyed it, in some way. Being around the apartment with someone there made her loneliness ease up, even if the other person wasn’t aware of her. It also made her feel… normal.</p>
<p>Blake stirred in her bed and it took Weiss’ mind from her thoughts to the present. She got up and walked to the bed to see Blake open her eyes and blink the sleep from them. After a moment, recognition set in. “Mm, what time is it?” Blake asked in a low mumble and felt around on the nightstand for her phone. </p>
<p>“I’m not sure, but it’s pretty late in the morning,” Weiss told her and smiled. Some urge in her felt like scolding the faunus woman for sleeping in so late and wasting the day, but it was difficult to argue with someone who seemed so content only moments ago.</p>
<p>“Ugh,” Blake groaned and pulled the blankets over her face. “Fine, I’m getting up.” Her reply was muffled but she finally sat up. “Taking a shower.” </p>
<p>“You don’t have to get up yet,” Weiss reassured her but Blake was already turning to climb out of bed. Weiss stepped back while Blake got up and shuffled to the bathroom directly across the hall and shut the door leaving Weiss alone in the room. She looked around and decided to head into the living room to poke around and let Blake have her privacy. Blake would want to get changed in peace, she figured and felt like respecting that boundary. Especially for someone kind enough to take her in. And help her. And spend time with her. Some gnawing part of Weiss’ mind kept coming back to how Blake made her feel happy. </p>
<p>Without memories of who she was before her death, and without knowing, well, much of anything about who exactly she was, Weiss was in the position of discovering herself all over again. She retained a lot of her societal memories, how to speak, what was considered rude or polite, facts about the world such as weather, and what most things were. It was all of her personal details that slipped away from her. Who she actually was. Some of it came to her in small urges, as all of her pushed aside thoughts of scolding Blake, and some of it came to her without any thought. She found herself simply performing what she assumed were habits from when she was alive. Moments where she nervously paced, or wrung her hands, or huffed in embarrassment. </p>
<p>One thing had been hanging over her head for a while and she could assuredly say it with confidence, though. She felt attracted to Blake. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Droplets of water on the floor left a trail from the bathroom across the hall into Blake's bedroom. She had just finished showering and her damp towel lay on her bed while she dug through her dresser for something to wear. Every time she grabbed a pair of panties, she stopped to think. A shower had not helped at clearing her mind of her current dilemma, one that had only grown in recent days. The scowl on her face reflected back at her in the dresser mirror while she sighed. In her head, thoughts circled about the past few days. With her. With Weiss. With her confusion. </p>
<p>Another sigh. </p>
<p>Blake didn't know what to do about Weiss. Obviously, she wanted to help the woman cross over, but every time she tried to think of ways to do so, something in the back of her mind, something heavy, made her second guess that. She knew the spirit's days were numbered for her window to cross over, but she didn't want to let her go. Blake figured it was some selfish part of her that held onto having a friend that wasn’t judgmental about both her status as a faunus and her strange magnetism for what she could only call the parts that fell through the hyper-normal shell. The publicly accepted blind eye to the oddities of the world. Past attempts to clue those close to her in on what it was she saw and did regarding everything had only driven a wedge between her and everyone else. </p>
<p>Weiss, though… Blake had grown attached to her. Attracted to her, even. She shook her head. Despite Weiss’ clear attraction to her, Blake didn't want to proceed with anything until she could figure out what was keeping the ghost in this world. She couldn't be here for no reason; every ghost had a reason for their prolonged stay. She at least deserved the option to leave and be unbound to the current plane. </p>
<p>"Can't be thinking that right now,” Blake mumbled and flattened her ears to her head. </p>
<p>Once she returned to her search for what to wear, she pulled a pair of floral panties from the drawer and slipped them on. The pastel blue fabric with the little blue and green flowers adorned all over them slid up and held snugly to the curve of Blake's waist. Next from the drawer was a matching pastel blue bra covered in the same pattern. Thoughts of Weiss and the predicament the two of them were in came back to her mind. Did she put this matching set for herself, or for Weiss? She turned and flopped onto her bed, damp hair splayed out over her pillow. </p>
<p>"Can't keep doing this."</p>
<p>"Doing what?"</p>
<p>The voice startled Blake and she froze. Weiss had sneaked into the room, her feet not making a noise as she entered; a benefit of being non-corporeal. Blake tried to cover herself with a blanket out of embarrassment, but her fear turned to confused frustration quickly. "Oh, Weiss, nothing. Don't worry about it. I was... wait, what are you doing in here?!" </p>
<p>Weiss grinned at the question as well as Blake's embarrassment and laughed. "Nothing. Don't worry about it." She stepped closer towards the woman on the bed and pouted to tease her. "You didn't have to cover up, though."</p>
<p>Blake took a couple of breaths to ease the flush across her nose and cheeks. Their rosy hue leveled out and she bit her lip while she gazed at the figure before her. Soft light from the window filtered through the blinds and reinforced the fact that Weiss was not a physical being. Her lack of shadow amongst the long shadows on the floor always fascinated Blake. It wasn't only Weiss, either. Any ghost she had met left her curious as to the specifics of how they were able to be there with her. Not many people could see them, and even fewer did what she attempted to do for them. The seconds ticked by before she realized Weiss was also gazing back and she should respond to the woman. "Listen, Weiss, you've got to stop sneaking up like this. What if I was even more indecent than I already am?" </p>
<p>"You say that like it's a bad thing," Weiss huffed before she drifted closer. Blake noted the usual cold emanating from the specter was missing. Her temperature was warmer. She was buzzing. Electrified. Weiss gazed at Blake.</p>
<p>"You're not cold right now?" she questioned in a low voice. The expression on Blake's face shifted to something lighter and more curious. She had never experienced something like this. Not even once before did she remember encountering a ghost that didn’t feel like stepping outside on a winter morning while half-asleep. </p>
<p>Weiss shook her head. "I feel more... I'm not sure how to describe it. Alive? Maybe not alive. But, I feel more energized. I was excited and wanted to show you,” she laughed.</p>
<p>Blake sighed in her mind. She couldn't say no to that face. The look of genuine happiness in the smile Weiss wore got to her. She had never anticipated having her heart melt like this over a ghost. The natural light of the growingly bright day outside illuminated the room and Blake thought, at that moment, the warmth of her girlfriend and the brighter day made this moment perfect. She froze. She just thought of Weiss as her girlfriend and didn't know how to react. She couldn't have a ghost for a girlfriend. How would she explain that one to people? Curiosity got the better of her though and she sat up, the blanket falling away.</p>
<p>“How did this happen?” she asked, looking over Weiss’ form and letting her eyes rest on the ghost’s face. </p>
<p>“I’m not entirely sure. That’s also why I came in here. I was in the front room and I just felt a strange calm sweep over me,” Weiss tried to explain, becoming a bit more animated with her words. “I remember thinking about the feelings of hopelessness from when I was lost, and the confusion I had, but then- Well, you found me. And that thought was around when it started happening. I knew I shouldn’t give it much attention, but it all felt so different and it felt- it felt good,” Weiss shyly smiled and turned her head away to hide the expression she had. </p>
<p>Against her better judgment, a grin spread, and Blake shook her head. "Fine, get over here." She motioned for Weiss to join her on the bed. "You're already here. You've already seen things. How much, I don't know." Eyes locked between them only a moment before the specter's cheeks looked flushed and she averted her gaze, surprising Blake. A ghost blushing was new. "That much, huh?" she laughed. "I suppose it was only a matter of time."</p>
<p>"If it makes you feel better, I wasn't peeping on purpose. I only wanted to share this," Weiss tried to backpedal and explain as she settled on the bed next to Blake. She reached a hand up to skim her fingers over the other woman's scalp. The electric sensation caused goosebumps to rise all over Blake's form. "And peep a little." Blake shivered from both the sensation and the admission. "Okay, no, I mostly wanted to peep."</p>
<p>"Dirty. You have a dirty mind," Blake teased but knew her mind was right there alongside Weiss’. Neither one of them was a saint it seemed. A moment passed in silence before Blake spoke again. "Hey, Weiss?"</p>
<p>"Hmm? What is it?"</p>
<p>"I want to ask-"</p>
<p>"If this is about my peeping on your roommate-"</p>
<p>"What? No. It's abou- wait, you peeped on Yang?"</p>
<p>"What? No. I didn't say that. Why would you accuse me of such a thing?" Weiss stood up with a start frowned, turning her back on Blake. </p>
<p>“Okay, well, you abusing your ghostly abilities aside, I feel like we really need to talk about things because this all feels incredibly fast. And there’s a lot of unknowns here.” Blake sighed and closed her eyes, leaning back against her headboard. “So many unknowns.” She opened her eyes and watched Weiss turn back around looking concerned, a chill beginning to roll off of her. Blake had a suspicion of it, but this seemed to confirm something she had thought. The temperature shifts seemed to be emotionally related, but the why of it happening was still unknown. “I didn’t say anything before because I didn’t want to put pressure on you, but there is a window of availability for you to cross over. After that closes, you’re- you’re here for good.”</p>
<p>Weiss stayed quiet. She only looked at Blake, and Blake could see the gears turning behind her eyes. The information wasn’t something she wanted to share lightly, but it had to be done before whatever was happening between them continued. Weiss had a right to all of the information. “How long?”</p>
<p>The question pulled Blake’s attention. “Hmm?”</p>
<p>“How long do I have?” Weiss asked. </p>
<p>“It’s different for everyone. I’m not sure what determines it, but I’ve seen as short as a week, and as long as a year. I’m having to do all of my own research on this since it’s not like there’s information readily available on this all,” she admitted. </p>
<p>Weiss sat back down on the bed and Blake could tell her mood was shifting. The chill lessened and turned to a mild electric buzz, raising the hairs on her arms. “And if I don’t go back?” she asked, turning to face Blake.</p>
<p>“Again, it varies. One spirit fell into permanent despair. Another chose to stay, finding comfort in looking after his family. Everyone is different, so I can’t say for certain,” Blake answered and hesitantly reached out to place a hand close to Weiss on the bed. “But I want to ask what you wanted to do, because as much as I’d like to see how…” she trailed off struggling to find the right words. “Things go? We should figure out everything about you first.”</p>
<p>Weiss nodded. “You’re right,” she sighed in agreement. “We shouldn’t. Not yet.”</p>
<p>The conversation was cut short by a crash from the kitchen area and loud swear by Yang. Weiss got up and slipped through the wall into the front room to see what happened. Blake was on her way to her dresser to pull on a pair of jeans and a shirt when Weiss poked her head back in. “It’s alright. She just broke a bowl. But, she’ll probably need some help.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Weiss waited in the kitchen with Yang as she carefully stepped over broken ceramic pieces. The blond grumbled and cursed under her breath the whole way down the hall and the entire way back with a broom in hand. Weiss could see the exasperation on her face as she attempted to sweep the pieces together with just one arm. Thankfully Blake emerged from her room, dressed and ready to help. </p>
<p>“Sorry,” Yang mumbled while continuing to scoot the shards together, but Blake shook her head.</p>
<p>“Lemme do that,” the faunus woman reached for the broom, and Yang hesitated before handing it over. </p>
<p>“I thought I could put together a simple bowl of cereal, but nooo, apparently that was too much for me to do,” Yang grumbled and squeezed her hand into a fist. Weiss stepped out of the way when Yang came her way to grab a new bowl from the dish rack. The hesitation in her decision didn’t go unnoticed by Blake or Weiss when she opted to grab one of the plastic bowls instead. </p>
<p>“There’s a few pieces under the edge of the- yeah, there,” Weiss told Blake who nodded in thanks. </p>
<p>Blake knelt down to use the dustpan and get all of the pieces into it. Thankfully it hadn’t shattered too terribly and most of the pieces were large. When they were gathered into the pan, she stood in time to see Yang on her toes reaching for a box of cereal that fell over on top of the fridge. Her tank top rode up from the action and both Weiss and Blake found themselves checking out Yang’s stomach. They shared a look of embarrassment with each other, a flush spreading across their faces, but it only worsened for Blake when she saw that Yang had turned to look at her. </p>
<p>Weiss started laughing at Blake’s misfortune of being caught checking her roommate out. Yang raised an eyebrow at Blake’s embarrassed expression and smirked. </p>
<p>“You’re no longer allowed to make fun of me for peeping,” Weiss shot at Blake while leaving the kitchen to settle herself in the living room and watch the awkward exchange happen in the kitchen. </p>
<p>“Sorry,” Blake mumbled and looked away, but Yang’s smirk grew into a smile as she went about making a bowl of cereal for herself. Blake dumped the dustpan in the trash and returned the broom to the closet before shutting herself in her room. Before following her back in, Weiss noted Yang giving a thoughtful glance toward Blake’s door.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>We're officially one third into this story! Every time I look at what I've written for this story I'm reminded of how much fun it was to write. Definitely getting the itch to work on more for this series. </p>
<p>Nearing the end of NaNoWriMo! I hope anyone who participated was able to make good progress. I'm nearly done but still plugging away. Work on Quotidian Solicitude is still underway, and there're plenty more ideas kicking around without really any stopping. </p>
<p>Anyway! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Quotidian Solicitude is also being uploaded weekly, so if you're at all interested, check that one out, too. It's on its second chapter with a third coming in a few days. </p>
<p>Thanks everyone~ ♥</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Weiss stared as Yang left the room, heading to the kitchen for something to drink. She watched the way she casually stepped along, one leg swinging to carry her to the next. Watched the way her hair bounced and bobbed as she went. Weiss sighed and found herself rather lost with such a sight, so much so that she barely recognized that Yang was about to walk right through her. </p>
<p>“Oh, jeez,” Yang said with a start and a shudder, spilling juice on the floor. “Dammit,” she muttered. “Stupid cold pockets in this dumb, drafty apartment.” </p>
<p>The wave of heat that shot through Weiss made her freeze in place and shiver from the tingling sensation like a thousand needles covered her body. She shook herself from the sensation and quickly stumbled out of the way for Yang to pass without repeating the incident. Though, Weiss did admit that in the off chance it was to happen again, she wouldn’t be entirely opposed to it. But, no, she got out of the way. Her feelings regarding the blond woman weren’t anything compared to her ever-increasing sense of duty to look out for her. </p>
<p>That thought, though, was something Weiss thought a lot about. While she stepped aside and sat on the floor while Yang grabbed paper towels to clean up the splash, Weiss contemplated what exactly it was that compelled her to take up such a duty in the first place. Having nothing but time lately, even if it was slowly ticking down on her window of crossing over, she was often left with her thoughts. </p>
<p>Was it Blake that compelled her to do this? Of course, making the faunus woman happy did make her feel better. Especially considering how much she was doing for her by helping her with everything. Easing her worries and bringing out that smile was definitely a bonus. She looks so- Nope, off track, Weiss thought. Maybe it was something about Yang, though. She did seem to have some sort of magnetic pull that made her want to gravitate towards her. Even when she’s feeling down there was something that tugged at her. Weiss sighed and shook her head again. It was rather pointless to go over it all again since it didn’t really change anything. She would have to figure out her final affairs and disappear from everyone forever. </p>
<p>Weiss hardly noticed when Yang settled back onto the couch. It was the sound of the channel changing that alerted her to anything different. She scooted closer to the couch and leaned back against it with a little concentration to not fall through it. Being this close felt… normal. Weiss smiled and watched Yang mess with her phone, neither really paying attention to the television. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y: ‘Blaaaake bring home pizza’</p>
<p>B: ‘I’m at work. It’ll be faster for you to just order one from somewhere.’</p>
<p>Y: ‘I like the pizza from there though’</p>
<p>B: ‘Then come here and get it.’</p>
<p>Y: ‘Ugghhh, that’s all the way over there’</p>
<p>B: ‘Yeah. At my work. Where I’m working right now.’</p>
<p>Y: ‘Are you really going to make me go all the way down there? With my broken wing?’</p>
<p>B: ‘My break is almost over.’</p>
<p>Y: ‘Fiiine I’ll go there for it then’</p>
<p>Y: ‘Blake?’</p>
<p>Y: ‘Did you go back to work already?’</p>
<p>B: ‘Emerald’s here for some reason.’</p>
<p>Y: ‘Knock her teeth out’</p>
<p>B: ‘What? No.’</p>
<p>Y: ‘Go tell her off then’</p>
<p>B: ‘I’ll just go see what she wants.’</p>
<p>Y: ‘She better not be there when I get there or I’ll throw hand’</p>
<p>B: ‘You mean throw hands?’</p>
<p>Y: ‘I’ve only got the one usable right now’</p>
<p>B: ‘Fair enough.’</p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Blake sighed and slipped her phone into her pocket while getting up. From the back corner table where she sat she could see the green-haired woman talking with Ezra, his body language seemed to give away nothing about the tone of the conversation. She watched him turn to look over the small dining area and his eyes lit up seeing Blake approaching. As she got closer, Emerald noticed her, too. </p>
<p>“Oh, Blake, this woman was asking for you. I was explaining you were on break,” he tried to explain.</p>
<p>Blake raised a hand and shook her head to stop him. “It’s fine. I’m back now. You can go take yours if you want. Just let Angelo know,” she smiled. He nodded and headed back to the kitchen. “So, what, um, what are you doing here?” Blake asked and turned to Emerald. “I’m guessing it’s not just to eat?”</p>
<p>“I didn’t hear from you so I thought I’d come in and see if you still wanted to do something tomorrow,” Emerald explained. As far as Blake could tell, the inquiry seemed genuine. Still, she felt a bubble of frustration in her as she remembered the comments from before. “In case you didn’t have my number.”</p>
<p>“I’m surprised you still want to do anything with a weirdo like me,” Blake mumbled and rolled her eyes, ears flattening atop her head. The comment caused Emerald to immediately shrink back, shoulders drooping. Just the tone alone caused her to flinch. </p>
<p>“You heard that, then.” Her red eyes couldn’t meet Blake’s and Emerald shifted from foot to foot in embarrassment. Or was it shame? Either way, her discomfort did make Blake feel mildly better about things. Yang was right. Telling Emerald off was actually making her feel better.</p>
<p>“Your boyfriend is a bit loud and, if you hadn’t noticed, I can hear a bit better than most people,” Blake sighed while crossing her arms, ears perking up with a wiggle to emphasize her point. “I thought you were better than that.”</p>
<p>“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s barely even my friend. But-” The green-haired woman stopped herself, but Blake waited expectantly for her to continue. Her last barb had snagged her good. Behind them, Blake could tell Rosa had stepped out of the office to listen by the doorway to the kitchen. “He shouldn’t have said what he did, and I shouldn’t have said what I did. I’m sorry.” </p>
<p>“Look, Emerald, just… Go away. Please.” Blake’s voice stayed soft and she wore a stern expression, staring at the other woman who appeared completely deflated under her gaze. “Enjoy your time in town, but please don’t come back here.”</p>
<p>Looking like a scolded puppy with her tail between her legs, Emerald nodded. “Sorry,” she mumbled again and turned to leave. The entire exchange, from start to finish, put Blake on edge and as soon as the door shut behind the green-haired woman, Blake let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. Her hands shook and she heard footsteps approaching from behind her. </p>
<p>“Are you okay, dear?” Rosa asked and placed a hand on her back, rubbing soft circles over it. Blake could only nod and she grabbed her by the elbow to guide her into the back. </p>
<p>“But, the front, and Ezra’s on a break,” Blake protested verbally while not giving any fight physically. She was soon brought through the kitchen into the office. Angelo looked over at the two of them and tilted his head to question what was happening, but a single look from Rosa seemed to answer it for him and he wiped his hands on a towel he had over his shoulder before heading to the front to keep an eye on things. Blake never understood how the two could speak so much without anything more than a glance, but she figured it had to do with being together for so long. </p>
<p>“It’s almost three and someone comes in then that can look after things out there. Besides, you’ve earned another break,” Rosa smiled.</p>
<p>“You heard all of that, then,” Blake sighed. </p>
<p>“I did. You stood up for yourself. You did good, dear,” the older woman smiled. That smile, every time. It reminded Blake of her parents and she felt better every time Rosa or Angelo looked after her like this, and she missed them. “I’ll get us some tea,” Rosa said and went into the kitchen. </p>
<p>Blake sat in a chair and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and hiding her face in her hands. There was a lot she could question about Emerald and the exchange as a whole, but it wasn’t worth the effort. Minutes in silence save for the sounds of the kitchen behind her eased the remaining tension she felt. Her ears turned in recognition of the front door’s bells sounding and-</p>
<p>She almost forgot Yang was coming. Rosa walked back into the office. “I think your friend is here. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off.” Before Blake could say anything, Rosa continued. “Unless you want her to carry the pizzas she ordered home by herself.” Blake sighed and rolled her eyes. </p>
<p>“Thank you.”</p>
<p>“I’ll give you two a ride home when they’re done so you don’t have to carry them,” Rosa smiled. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You really gave the ‘better than this’ line? That is a low blow, Belladonna.”</p>
<p>“What?” Blake defended against Yang’s accusation. “You’re the one who told me to tell her off!”</p>
<p>Yang grinned. “I didn’t say I wasn’t proud. Only acknowledging the low blow.” The blond laughed and took a sip from her soda. </p>
<p>“Whatever,” Blake huffed. “Thought you were better than this, too.”</p>
<p>“Ow, my heart,” Yang feigned and fell over on the couch only to wince when she fell on her shoulder. “Or my shoulder,” she groaned. In front of the couch, Weiss looked as if she was going to say something but held back. Blake could tell it hurt her seeing Yang in distress like that, so she leaned over to help her up. </p>
<p>“Better?”</p>
<p>“Thanks,” Yang grinned. “You are forgiven. For that. But making me walk all the way to your work was cruel.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah,” Blake sighed. </p>
<p>Weiss scooted herself closer to Blake’s side of the couch. “I’m glad you told her what for,” she said and smiled up at Blake. Raising a hand, she placed it on Blake’s arm which gave them both a strange electric feeling. If Blake didn’t see what was happening, she’d have sworn she was statically charged. </p>
<p>“Thanks,” Blake spoke softly so Weiss could hear while Yang was busy flipping through channels on the TV. She turned back to watch her roommate channel surf. There was a certain degree of concentration that brought out the intensity of the violet in her eyes. She had noticed it before, but at the moment it seemed even more vibrant and she was staring. </p>
<p>Weiss looked between Blake and Yang. “Blake…?” Nothing. “Blake?” she tried again, louder. No response. Finally, she gave up and reached up to touch her cheek with one finger. Give her a small shock to catch her attention and maybe alert her to the fact that Yang had caught her staring. </p>
<p>Blake jumped from the shock, turning away from Yang to scold Weiss who only pointed at Yang. When she looked back to the blond her cheeks immediately flushed. </p>
<p>“See something you like?” Yang asked with a raised brow only for Blake to look away again. </p>
<p>Weiss laughed and enjoyed the embarrassment at Blake’s expense.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everyone!<br/>A day late on the update, but if you saw my notes on Quotidian Solicitude, you already know that my schedule has been rather thrown off the past week, and most likely will be for this following week, too. But I'm still going to do my best to get the updates out to you all! </p>
<p>I'm a bit excited to share these next few chapters with you all. </p>
<p>Anyway! I hope you all enjoyed this one. I've also got another fic I'm uploading weekly, Quotidian Solicitude, if you want to check it out. ♥</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Notebooks and photocopies of newspaper obituaries and local cemetery records laid spread out across the floor of Blake’s room. The faunus woman sat leaned back against her bed with her hands over her face, thinking. The afternoon sun started to peek through her window and illuminated everything in a bright ray while Weiss walked around looking at all of the information on display. </p>
<p>“We already established that I had to have died in the past ten years, right?” Weiss asked and looked over to Blake. She wouldn’t readily admit to it, but Weiss almost didn’t want to continue searching for all of this information. She was feeling content spending her days with Blake and her roommate, but she could definitely see the strain the situation was putting on Blake. The situation wasn’t ideal for anyone, but especially for Weiss since she also didn’t know what would happen when she remembered who she was. </p>
<p>“Something like that,” Blake mumbled and lowered her hands to see where Weiss was. The soft smile on Blake’s face made Weiss feel a warmth in her and the previous feelings of guilt started to melt.</p>
<p>“Then we can narrow it down to these four,” Weiss said as she motioned to the different papers. </p>
<p>Blake leaned forward to pick them up and look over. The two had been poring over the information all day. After spending all of Blake’s free time over the last week working on narrowing things down, she was relieved to finally be making progress. “We have it narrowed down to… Elizabeth Weiss, Mary Weiss, Weiss Schnee, and Weiss Collins. Any of these sounding familiar?” </p>
<p>Weiss settled on the floor next to Blake and shook her head. “It’d be nice if these had pictures. But, no. Do I look like an Elizabeth, you think?” She turned her head to show Blake a profile view of her face, tilting her chin up like she was modeling for a coin. </p>
<p>Blake leaned back to really look at Weiss while trying to keep a straight face but she started snorting in laughter. “No, no you don’t. I really don’t think you’re a Mary, either.”</p>
<p>“That’s good. I don’t feel like a Mary, either,” Weiss huffed and furrowed her brow. “At least Elizabeth sounds more dignified,” she smirked. </p>
<p>“And Schnee or Collins?”</p>
<p>Weiss shrugged. “You think I’m a ‘Weiss’ as a first name type, then? We can start looking into these ones at least.”</p>
<p>Blake nodded and closed her eyes. Weiss scooted closer and leaned in. She felt the same warmth from the other day again. A static charge that left her feeling as if the nerves in her body were waking up; tingling and prickly. The sensation left her with a giddy rush of energy. </p>
<p>“And the graves have to be close, right? Isn’t that what one of your notebooks was saying?”</p>
<p>Blake opened her eyes and nodded. “Relatively. Unless you can remember wandering here from far away. But, almost every single spirit I’ve encountered had reappeared within the city their grave is in or a few towns over. Still unsure as to the why, but it does help narrow some things down to the area.”</p>
<p>Weiss nodded in thought. “And we’re not bound to the area?”</p>
<p>“Not even a little. You’re free to travel the world. The guy who I mentioned went to look after is family followed them across the ocean and back. Still see him around occasionally. I think one of his kids lives in the city now or something.” Blake shrugged one of her shoulders. “Haven’t tried off-planet, though, but I doubt that will even come up for most ghosts anyway.” After a pause, Blake spoke again. “Are… you having second thoughts about crossing over?”</p>
<p>Weiss was quiet for a long while. She turned to look down at the floor and the other papers spread out not wanting to answer. She didn’t know what she was feeling. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Weiss dragged her feet. Blake had taken her out to check out grave sites to see if anything jogged her memory and they had already crossed Elizabeth and Mary off of the list. The next stop was to visit Schnee, but Weiss was less than eager to go. Some level of finality seemed to be weighing on her as they left the first graveyard. When they reached the second, she felt even worse. And approaching the third was tantamount to torture. </p>
<p>The morning had been eaten up traveling to the other side of the city to see the Sacred Cross Cemetery. The two concluded that Weiss was clearly not Elizabeth Weiss by nature of the photographs and memorials set up on the grave. The woman there had dark brown hair and strong looking eyes which Weiss lacked. </p>
<p>The trip hadn’t seemed to be an entire waste, Blake tried to reassure Weiss, but it definitely set a low bar for her expectations of the day. While wanting to spend the day with Blake, this wasn’t what she had in mind, even if it needed to be done. On the way out the door, Blake left a message for Yang letting her know she was going to be running errands. Halfway into their journey across the city, Blake had received a message from Yang saying she might not be back for dinner because of errands of her own. </p>
<p>The second destination was Pine Hill Funeral And Memorial Park. That trip didn’t take more than ten minutes once they arrived, the cemetery being small and close together. Again, the gravesite itself gave enough information for the pair to scratch it off the list entirely, Mary Weiss being a faunus woman with prominent antlers. </p>
<p>“Blake,” Weiss called out. She was feeling drained and wasn’t sure why. She shouldn’t be feeling like this, especially since she didn’t need sleep. Or food. Or anything. But her legs felt leaden. And the sun… She felt like she was burning up.</p>
<p>“Hmm? What is it?” Blake asked and turned around, but when she did concern laced her face. “Oh, jeez, Weiss. Why didn’t you say something?” </p>
<p>Weiss blinked in confusion but continued on. “I just- I feel exhausted,” she mumbled. </p>
<p>Blake rushed over to her and moved to reach out to her but held her hand back in case she shouldn’t touch her. Weiss gazed at her, still confused, but when she reached her own hand out she found that her arm was growing faint and heavy. “B-blake, what- what is happening?” she asked feeling unsure and scared. </p>
<p>“It’s going to be okay. We need to get you out of the sun. Um… Come over here,” Blake reassured her and glanced around, spotting an alley shaded by one of the buildings. “You’ll feel better in a few minutes. This can sometimes happen.” Weiss followed her into the shade and the coolness of being out of the sun already eased the weight on her. She slumped to the ground and leaned back against the brick wall. Blake did the same, sliding down next to her.</p>
<p>“What is this?” Weiss asked and held up her hand to look at, already it becoming more defined. </p>
<p>Blake sighed. “Weiss. Have you slept at all since you’ve been at the apartment with me? Or, I guess it’s whatever the equivalent is for spirits. A restful state. It’s important so you can maintain form and don’t dissipate into…” She waved her hand. “I still haven’t figured that out. But not resting also makes you light-sensitive which can dissipate you faster.”</p>
<p>Weiss sat and listened, letting the coolness of the shade seep into her and let the weight of everything slide off. “I- I don’t know if I have. Or, I don’t know how to. If you haven’t noticed, you’re the one with all the knowledge about this here so I’m relying on you for help.” Her tone flared with annoyance, but her body language betrayed her, showing a softer side rather than the anger she was putting on as a front. </p>
<p>“Look, let’s just head back for today. We went to two places, we can get the other two the day after tomorrow. Though, let me try something.” Blake reached her hand out this time and tried to hold it in place on Weiss’ shoulder. The cold electric feeling was faint. “Concentrate on my hand touching you. That feeling. It feels warm, right? And tingling?”</p>
<p>Weiss shrunk back from the touch momentarily nodded and closed her eyes. When she did, the feeling grew stronger. Blake’s hand shook and Weiss felt that sensation filling her up. “What- what is happening?”</p>
<p>“A last resort to get you feeling better right now,” Blake replied, her voice sounding strained. “Alright, stop. Stop.” She pulled her hand back and took deep breaths. Weiss opened her eyes and blinked. She felt… Like normal. “We’ll talk about it later, but for now, let’s go,” she said quietly and stood up, her legs shaking a few seconds before she steadied herself. </p>
<p>Weiss got up to follow and had to admit that she really did feel better than she had in a long while. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Velvs, do we have-”</p>
<p>Coco was immediately cut off by Velvet squeezing her hand, interrupting her. “In the car already. And the vase you got.” That reassurance let Coco relax and she nodded, her sunglasses hiding whatever emotions her eyes held and the lower part of her face betraying nothing. </p>
<p>Velvet dragged Coco by the hand out the front door, locking it behind them. It was wonderfully clear out for their trip across town, and the faunus woman couldn’t be more thankful. The previous year, the rain had made the trip drearier and more morose than anticipated despite the circumstances. She would never question Coco’s insistence on visiting on this anniversary rather than any other day of the year because she already knew the answer. It was guilt. </p>
<p>As the pair approached the car, Coco peeked through the window to the back seat. “White and pastel blue. Excellent choice,” she whispered to nobody. “Think she’ll like them?” she asked, this time turning to Velvet.</p>
<p>“Weiss will love them,” she replied, only able to offer a sad smile. “And the vase you picked, too.”</p>
<p>This time, Coco returned the pained smile and nodded. The two women entered the car and soon Velvet was driving them to the Frondwood Cemetery, resting place of Weiss Schnee. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yang walked up a pathway through the cemetery to the back section. Trees shaded most of the area on the pathway, a cool reprieve from the overhead sun. In her free hand, she gripped a small bouquet of flowers. When she crested the hill and looked out over the rows of grave markers, she knew she was getting close. She didn’t know what she would say, or what she could say. It’s not like everything was easy, especially after- </p>
<p>Yang stopped. She scanned the rows and counted to make sure it wasn’t a coincidence, and it wasn’t. She stormed over to the gravesite. </p>
<p>“What are you doing here, Adel?” she demanded.</p>
<p>Coco looked up to see Yang angrily glaring at her. If she didn’t know better, she’d have sworn her eyes were red. “We were just leaving,” she replied to the blond woman with a level voice. Velvet stood and placed a hand on Coco’s shoulder to reassure her, and also letting her know they should hurry up. </p>
<p>“Sorry, Yang,” Velvet offered an apologetic smile to the blond who only sighed and turned away. </p>
<p>Yang’s shoulders drooped and she squeezed the bouquet tighter in her hand. “Just… Go. Please.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry.” Those words were the last ones Coco said before being led away by Velvet. </p>
<p>When Yang turned back around, she watched the two women leave, and it wasn’t until they dipped below her line of sight that Yang turned to Weiss’ grave. “I’m sorry, Weiss,” she whispered and knelt down to sit next to the marker. Looking around, Yang noticed that Coco and Velvet had cleaned the area up. The grave marker was cleaned and leaves swept away. Any weeds that had grown around the area pulled and tossed aside. </p>
<p>Seeing the vase that Coco had left, Yang closed her eyes and was ready to cry. She had forgotten to bring something to put the flowers in. The ones already there Weiss was sure to love and it didn’t feel right to remove them, even if they had come from Coco of all people. Yang set the small bouquet she brought down over the marker and placed her hand on it.</p>
<p>“I miss you, Weiss,” Yang whispered. “I do, all the time. I know I made you so mad, but I love you and wish you were still here. Every day.” She sniffled and a sad smile spread over her face. “You’d probably have something to say about me crying like this, but I don’t care.” </p>
<p>She shifted to get more comfortable, crossing her legs and leaning forward, resting her good elbow on her thigh. “Ruby’s getting married soon. You’d be so proud of her; she finally asked Penny to marry her. The Xiao Long girls are all a bit oblivious, huh Weiss?” She smiled. “It took how long for you to badger me into asking you? But for Ruby, I don’t know if I want to go. Without you here, everything is different and I’m…” Yang huffed through her nose in amusement. “I’m scared. But there’s also times it feels like you’re still with me, keeping me safe. You’d call me such a dolt for it, but I can even see you sometimes. In the corner of my eye. Or a split second in the mirror. It’s like you’re there with me, just out of reach.”</p>
<p>Yang leaned forward again, running her fingers over the small photograph embedded in the marker when a chill swept over her and pulled her out of things. She glanced around to see Blake slowly approaching. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Blake had meant to take Weiss straight back home, but the third cemetery happened to be along the fastest route to the apartment. Despite feeling a bit tired after the energy transfer that she never got used to, no matter how many times she did it, the trip would have to be worth it if for no other reason than to cross it off of the list. Weiss looked to be in high spirits and feeling better. Blake mentally kicked herself for thinking that pun, ready to blame Yang. That girl had a way of getting in your head for better or worse. </p>
<p>When she and Weiss walked into the cemetery they saw the gold car from the other day leaving the parking lot, all but confirming that this was the right location. The place was bigger than the previous two, and the afternoon was pushing on the late side of things. By the time they walked home, it was sure to be dark, but they did come all this way. </p>
<p>The two walked row after row of markers not finding the right one, and the further they got in, the more confusing the layout seemed to be. Trees obscured areas, walkways led in all different directions. Benches and water features were set up at different intervals to build a mellow atmosphere. All Blake thought was that, right then, they were simply making everything harder. If she knew where she was going, she was sure she would appreciate it all more, but presently, she was frustrated. </p>
<p>“Blake!” </p>
<p>Blake looked up to see Weiss waving from the top of a small hill. Had she found it? She hurried up to see what she was calling her over for when she saw a familiar mop of blond hair a distance away. </p>
<p>“What is Yang doing here?” Blake asked and furrowed her brow. </p>
<p>“I’m not sure, but I think she’s talking to someone.”</p>
<p>“Probably whoever is buried there,” Blake whispered. While Weiss couldn’t be heard by most people, Blake didn’t want to disturb anyone potentially around. “Think we should head over to check on her?”</p>
<p>Weiss hesitated but finally nodded, taking a step forward. Blake started to follow behind but froze when her ears picked up what she was saying. She heard the name ‘Weiss’ mentioned. She wanted to say something to Weiss, but doing so would alert Yang to her presence there, and she wasn’t sure if this was something she should be hearing. Blake could only watch as Weiss got closer and closer, kneeling down to see who the grave was for. She watched the confusion cross her face. The realization. The ghostly tears filling her eyes. And she sat down, right next to Yang. </p>
<p>Blake heard most of what Yang said. Enough to figure out the gist of the situation. When Weiss turned to hug Yang, Blake started walking closer. </p>
<p>“Blake,” Yang mumbled in surprise and wiped at her eyes. “What- what are you doing here?”</p>
<p>“I-” Blake wasn’t sure how to answer. “I was on my way home and…” She paused, stalling while trying to think of what to say.</p>
<p>Yang got up from the ground and dusted her jeans off. “I’m glad you’re here.” A sad smile crossed her face. “I should introduce you. This is- was my fiancee, Weiss.” She motioned down to the marker and stepped back to stand next to Blake. “It’s been a few years now.” Silence hung in the air. “You’d have liked her. I think. She’d definitely have liked you, though. Especially for how much you’ve been looking out for me lately.” Yang wiped at her eyes again. </p>
<p>Weiss remained seated in front of the grave marker and stared at it. </p>
<p>“Let’s go home now, though. I’m tired,” Yang mumbled and Blake wasn’t about to argue with her. </p>
<p>“Come on, then,” Blake said, placing a hand on the small of Yang’s back to help guide her and reassure her. A moment later, Weiss stood up and trailed after them.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A day late, sorry!<br/>I'm still getting my sleep schedule in order after the past couple weeks of it being so wonky/all over the place. I took a nap last night at my computer desk (that totally didn't tweak my neck weird at all, shhhhh) that went from 10 PM to 2 AM and it was awful. I couldn't sleep again until 6, almost 7, AM and it lasted until close to 11 AM. It's all a mess right now. </p>
<p>Anyway!<br/>I'm happy to get this chapter out to everyone. It's been one I've been looking forward to sharing for a while now and I'm glad I finally got to do it. Seeing all of the comments up until now has made me even giddier to share it, and I hope you all liked it. </p>
<p>Ending this with my usual reminder that I have another fic being uploaded weekly, Quotidian Solicitude, that's been an outlet for me with a lot of my big gay and big trans feelings, plus there have been some other aspects of my life I've peppered throughout it if you're interested in checking it out at all. </p>
<p>And, as always, thank you for reading~ ♥</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yang stared at herself in the mirror making sure she looked presentable enough for her first day back at work. All of the redness around her eyes from her poor sleep the night before was going to be something she just had to deal with. Hopefully, it would fade as the day went on. It was already difficult enough to be limited to counter duty at work instead of being able to be in the workshop, but at least she could get out of the house. Ever since the trip to Weiss’ grave, she would have sworn she kept seeing her more often. Glimpses in reflections and blurs in the corner of her eye. It also didn’t help that the apartment had gotten draftier as well. All of the sudden chills she got were becoming annoying, and she knew something was up since Blake had said she didn’t feel them. </p>
<p>Speaking of Blake, ever since the day in the cemetery, Yang would have sworn she was acting different around her, too. Using her good hand, she rubbed at her eyes, looking them over in the mirror as she leaned closer. Oh, whatever. Yang sighed and stood up straighter, leaning back from the mirror. It was just a short shift, anyway. ‘Light duty’ apparently meant the counter for four hours a day. </p>
<p>She frowned. Something caught her eyes. Her attention darted to the edge of the mirror and she turned around only to see nothing there. If she didn’t know better, Yang would have sworn she was being followed. But that was crazy. Weiss was definitely dead. She was there at the hospital when- </p>
<p>Yang sighed.</p>
<p>She was at the hospital, and she was at the funeral. And she was at the wake. And she grieved for her. Weiss was gone. </p>
<p>Yang’s phone beeped and she glanced down to it on the counter. She had to take off for work already. With a sigh, she turned the alarm off and slipped her phone in her pocket. At the door, she called out, “Heading out now, see you this afternoon!”</p>
<p>“Be safe!” Blake called out from her room. </p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah,” Yang mumbled, rolled her eyes, and left.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘Work is going to be a bit long. A lot of last-minute touch-ups before the shoot can begin. Think you can handle dinner?’</p>
<p>Velvet rolled her eyes at the message and smirked. Like she wasn’t going to handle dinner anyway. She tapped out a quick reply before grabbing her keys and purse. </p>
<p>‘Only if you grab some of that cake I like on your way home.’</p>
<p>‘You got it, Velvs.’</p>
<p>She smiled and tucked her phone in her purse before heading out the door. She had planned for something new for her and Coco to try for dinner and spent the morning making a grocery list of what she needed for it. Coco running late, though, meant she had a bit extra time to also swing by the bookstore and pick up the new release she had her eye on, and maybe even grab the new French issue of Vogue if the store had it in stock for Coco. </p>
<p>The drive across town was leisurely, most traffic being non-existent in that area for a late Tuesday morning. The weather seemed pleasant enough. Chilly enough for a light jacket, but not cold. The sun above with no clouds in the sky meant rain wasn’t going to happen while she was running errands. Maybe she would stop and have lunch as well. Treat herself. The soft smile she wore only grew when she remembered that Coco had a long weekend coming up. The entire day was looking to be a good one. </p>
<p>With how great the day promised to be, it was only a matter of time before something gummed up the works. This something came in the form of a familiar-looking feline faunus, and for a brief second, she swore she saw a glimpse of white hair. Velvet’s smile dropped to a neutral tone and her brow furrowed. Something about that woman gnawed at her and had been ever since the first time she saw her. She slowed down and turned into the nearest parking lot. If she was lucky, she could catch the woman before she got too far. Velvet didn’t know what she was going to say to her or even ask her, but she had to at least try and talk to her. It was going to weigh on her mind otherwise. </p>
<p>Purse over her shoulder, she hit her key fob to lock the car and headed down the sidewalk after the black-haired faunus woman. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Blake brushed her hair back with her hand to make prominently seen the single headphone in her ear she was attempting to pass off as a Bluetooth headset. With the volume control on the cord and the other end disappearing into her pocket, it should look convincing enough to anyone nearby, she thought. </p>
<p>“I don’t know what you’re wanting to do, though. We’ve already established that you spending so much time around her isn’t good for either of you. Did you know she asked me the other day if I thought she was going crazy?”</p>
<p>Weiss turned around to face Blake and shook her hands in front of her in frustration. “My memories keep coming back to me, though! I don’t know what you’re expecting me to do! How am I supposed to stay there and not be drawn to my fiancee?” The spirit’s tone of voice sounded exasperated. The topic was one the two women had clearly talked about many times. Much softer this time, Weiss spoke again. “It’s so hard. I- I know I’m, well, dead. But she’s still so hurt by this. I really think the thing I need to complete is helping her move on.” </p>
<p>“Listen. I understand that, but as I said before, we need to figure this out together. You can’t go rushing in because it’s really hurting her. So, until we can figure out what to do, I’m going to run interference between you two.”</p>
<p>“I still don’t understand how you did that,” Weiss huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, sulking. </p>
<p>“If it helps, there’s notebooks of notes you don’t know about,” Blake smirked and turned to walk away. She knew Weiss would follow her. This wasn’t the first time the two had a disagreement, and she knew it wasn’t going to be the last. For as confrontational as Weiss could be, Blake quickly learned that the woman let small gripes go easy enough. “There’s still a few places to check out before heading home.”</p>
<p>She heard Weiss sigh and figured that was indication enough that she was following. As they approached a crosswalk, from the corner of her eye, she saw a gold car go by. The city was big, though. The chances of it being the same gold car as before were fairly low, Blake told herself. Still, she turned her head to look but the car was too far for her to read the license plate. Weiss had said she recognized the two women from before but didn’t give her much information. The shocking discovery of her other memories and the extreme coincidence of living with her ex-fiancee seemed to overshadow any major discussion of everything else. Still, Blake had managed to pick up their names, at least. Velvet seemed to be the name of the faunus woman, and Coco was the name of the other. </p>
<p>Without giving things much thought, Blake noticed she was further down the block than she anticipated and had to slow down. Weiss behind her seemed to be dragging her feet again, but Blake could see it was more out of annoyance than lack of energy. Blake rolled her eyes and tapped her foot for the ghostly woman to pick up the pace. Weiss frowned at her and sped up a little bit, but still took her time. </p>
<p>“We’re almost to the store. Stop making that face,” Blake sighed as she shook her head. Weiss only stared at her. “I told you before. I know you care about her. I care about her, too. But, we need to figure out what to do together. I know you understand that, so stop acting childish and come on.”</p>
<p>Weiss was quiet but sighed and her shoulders slumped. “I know. It’s frustrating, though. She’s… right there. And I can’t do anything.”</p>
<p>“We’ll talk about it more when we get back, but there’s a couple things we can try. That’s why we’re going to the store,” Blake explained. She was about to go on but a sight behind Weiss caught her attention. A woman was rushing down the sidewalk in what Blake could only describe as a springy power walk. She didn’t have to wonder who it was since the ears clearly gave it away. Blake had to admit, Velvet definitely had a bounce in her step. </p>
<p>“What’s-?” Weiss started to ask while turning around but stopped the moment she saw the woman approaching. “Velvet…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yang checked her phone. It was more out of habit than any expectations. With how slow the day had started, she found herself with more downtime than ever in the lobby. Through the side window, she could see into the garage where the others were working and she itched to be in there and busy working on, well, anything. Front desk duty was boring. </p>
<p>She sighed and leaned on her arm on the counter. Maria or Therese was soon to be there and relieve her for a break. Yang didn’t look at the schedule since she knew it was going to be one of them. In half an hour they would show up and Yang could go sit in the break room and… Do more of nothing. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense for Yang to be behind the counter, anyway. She had to call one of the others to go check the mileage and everything on the cars out front anyway, and they typically took over for her. She was acting as a face to greet the customers and nothing else. </p>
<p>At least it’s money, Yang thought. And being out of the house was better than nothing. At least here she could sulk in peace rather than have to worry about Blake’s attempts at cheering her up. She knew it was a risk when she went to visit Weiss that Coco might be there. It did make sense since the two had known each other longer, but… It still hurt. On some level, Yang knew Coco wasn’t the direct reason Weiss was dead, but it felt easier to blame her for having her fiancee taken away than accept that the drunk driver who died upon impact was the one responsible. Coco was still around and the random drunk was gone. </p>
<p>And it’s not like Coco walked away fine from the whole event, either. She was in the hospital longer than Weiss was, but she had the fortune of surviving. Yang knew she would have to someday apologize to both Velvet and Coco, but it wasn’t going to be anytime soon. Not when everything still felt raw. Yang didn’t know what she was going to do with herself anymore. She felt content to waste away, but she doubted Blake would let her. </p>
<p>And Blake. If she had to wager a guess, she thought the girl had a thing for her. Yang huffed in amusement. She wasn’t being fair to Blake right now, either, worrying her like this. It seemed pretty clear that she was worried about her. But what was she supposed to do? It felt like everything about back then kept haunting her. </p>
<p>Yang sighed. Maybe she should at least reach out and do something with Blake like before. She picked her phone up again. </p>
<p>‘Did you want to order from the Chinese place across the street and watch a movie tonight?’</p>
<p>Yang was about to tuck her phone in her pocket again when her phone buzzed. </p>
<p>‘Sounds good. My treat this time.’</p>
<p>She smiled. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Blake and Velvet awkwardly sat across from each other at a small table in a cafe. After Velvet approached, Weiss had made a convincing enough case for Blake to simply ask the other woman to talk somewhere because it looked like she had a lot of questions. The convincing argument consisted of a heartfelt ‘please’ and a hollow threat to not let Blake sleep in peace that night if she didn’t. </p>
<p>Weiss sat in a chair to the right of Blake at the table as well, between the two faunus women. The two had placed their orders already and were waiting for the drinks to be brought over. A small interruption occurred when Blake’s phone buzzed with a message from Yang that seemed to be fairly obvious to everyone at the table who it was from considering Yang had set her picture in Blake’s contacts to a large picture of her face making the cheesiest grin possible. </p>
<p>“So… you know Yang,” Velvet spoke quietly. </p>
<p>Blake tucked her phone away after replying and nodded. “I live with her.”</p>
<p>“Are you two…?” Velvet asked but didn’t finish, the rest of the question obvious.</p>
<p>“Oh, no. We’re just roommates.”</p>
<p>“Mm,” Velvet replied and nodded. </p>
<p>Between them, Weiss groaned. Blake glanced to where the ghost was sitting and the moment was interrupted by the arrival of their drinks. An herbal tea for Blake and a milk coffee for Velvet. Both women nodded in thanks to the person who brought the drinks over, and both stared down at the drinks. </p>
<p>Weiss turned to Blake. “She wants to ask about me. It’s obvious. You should say something and just break the ice.”</p>
<p>“How did you know Weiss?” Blake asked and glanced up from her mug to watch Velvet. The rabbit faunus flinched at the bluntness of the question but after seemed to relax with the initial tension being lifted.</p>
<p>“She was close friends with my partner, Coco. I think they met in college since I didn’t meet Coco until after we all had graduated,” Velvet spoke and softly smiled. “Did you know her well?” </p>
<p>Blake’s eyes flicked from Velvet to the chair where Weiss sat and it didn’t escape either Blake or Weiss that Velvet did the same.</p>
<p>“I want to talk with her. Please tell her so you can talk for me,” Weiss sighed. </p>
<p>“Not exactly,” Blake admitted, looking back to Velvet. “I didn’t know about her until recently.” Blake paused to think of how to phrase what she was going to say next when Velvet interrupted. </p>
<p>“Is she here?”</p>
<p>Weiss turned to stare at Velvet, a curious look on her face. “Can she see me? Like, actually see me?”</p>
<p>Blake froze a moment. “Yes,” is all she managed to say. </p>
<p>Velvet sighed in relief. “She’s been following you around, then? Because every time I’ve seen you, it’s like… I can almost see her in a glimpse or flash of a reflection. And then there was the time at the-”</p>
<p>“The deli?” both Blake and Weiss asked at once. </p>
<p>“Yes! I saw her in the door, and again when we drove by, and I am so relieved to know I’m not losing it,” Velvet babbled and nervously laughed. “Does this mean Yang knows about her?”</p>
<p>Blake paused but then shook her head. “We need to tell her, or at least… Do something soon. We’re not sure how to tell her exactly. Plus, there’s a lot that Weiss is still trying to figure out beforehand. The other day we found Yang at the cemetery and it was a big shock for Weiss to learn about her and Yang.”</p>
<p>“Oh- Oh no. She can’t remember everything?”</p>
<p>Blake shook her head. The conversation seemed to be going smoother, but it was still awkward since Blake was needing to go between both Velvet and Weiss. “Let me try something,” Blake said and reached to the napkin dispenser in the middle of the table. She slid it across the table, closer to Weiss, and angled it slightly towards herself so the reflective side was better facing Weiss. Velvet watched intently to what she was doing and her eyes widened momentarily, but she frowned right after. </p>
<p>“I thought I saw here, right there,” said and looked to the chair. </p>
<p>“You did. Sort of,” Blake answered. “Don’t look at the reflection on the side, but right next to it. Only see it in the side of your vision. It may not be all that detailed, but you’ll be able to see her in your peripheral in the reflection,” she explained. She watched as Velvet did as she was told and her eyes lit up. “That should make this at least a little less awkward.”</p>
<p>Weiss stayed quiet while the other two women talked, but she stared at Velvet for a long while. Something caught her attention and she reached out a hand to touch Velvet’s wrist and the contact made the faunus woman jump. </p>
<p>“Weiss,” Blake scowled and turned to the ghost.</p>
<p>“That was Weiss?” Velvet asked and looked to the empty chair between them, but then turned her head to try glancing in the reflection.</p>
<p>“Yeah, but she should know better than to just touch people,” Blake answered, shooting another glare at the spirit. “She reached out to touch your wrist.”</p>
<p>“My wrist…? Oh!” Velvet pulled her sleeve up and a small silver chain bracelet sat on her wrist, adorned with various colorful charms. </p>
<p>“I- I remember that, now. It was a… birthday present? I thought jewelry was an appropriate gift and both Coco and Yang-”</p>
<p>Weiss was interrupted as Velvet spoke again. “She got it for me on my birthday. Coco was so upset, saying Weiss upstaged her. Yang had to pull her aside and explain most people didn’t do stuff like that.” She smiled. </p>
<p>“Coco went out and got her the charms for it the next day, determined to one-up me,” Weiss laughed.</p>
<p>“She said Coco got you the charms the next day,” Blake smiled. </p>
<p>Velvet grinned and nodded. “She did. She grumbled about Weiss and the bracelet for the whole next week,” she laughed. “That was one of my favorite birthdays, though. When she was still with us. Before the accident.”</p>
<p>Blake smiled and nodded, but Weiss frowned. “Can you ask her what happened? The accident, I mean? I know there was a huge crash, and being taken to the hospital, and that’s… That’s it,” Weiss mumbled.</p>
<p>Sighing, Blake looked to Velvet. “It’s probably good we ran into each other,” Blake started. “There’s still some gaps that Weiss is trying to fill in. She said she remembers the crash. A… car crash?” A quick glance to Weiss who nodded let Blake know she was right. “And the hospital, but it’s blank after. All up until… I found her in downtown?” Weiss nodded again and turned to Velvet. </p>
<p>Velvet took a sip from her drink and sighed, then looked next to the napkin dispenser to see Weiss looking at her with a worried expression. “I’m sorry, Weiss,” she whispered and cleared her throat. “Mm, it was a drunk driver. You and Coco were taken to the hospital relatively quickly. There was a hospital not far from the boutique the two of you were headed to, and by the time I got called to come down, both of you were placed in induced comas. Yang and I- We- We sat in the waiting room for so long. I know there was a lot. I just can’t remember everything,” Velvet managed to get out before her voice cracked. She cleared her throat again. </p>
<p>Blake looked between Velvet and Weiss. Both women looked on the verge of tears. She could see the flickers of recognition on Weiss’ face as some details came back to her about everything. How much, she didn’t know. But Blake could tell this was still helping her. Weiss reached a hand out to place it on Velvet’s wrist again and this time Velvet shivered but didn’t pull back. </p>
<p>“When Yang and I could go see you two, it was in the ICU. You both looked so-” Velvet stopped and took a deep breath. The memory still difficult to recall. “But, after a few days, Coco was brought out of her coma. You, though. I remember being there with Yang. The doctors said your brain activity had stopped and-” Velvet had to stop. In the reflection, she saw Weiss lean back and the coldness on her wrist withdrew. </p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Blake reassured Velvet. “I think she learned what she needed.”</p>
<p>Weiss nodded and stayed leaned back in the chair, staring down at her lap, not talking. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In the evening, Velvet sat on a stool in her kitchen while she waited for the oven timer to go off. She looked down at her phone, waiting for a message from Coco to let her know she got out of work. She sighed and picked up the book she had bought earlier and flipped the cover open. While she would have loved to read to make the time pass quicker, memories of years prior kept coming to her. It was clear that Coco and Yang both had a lot of issues regarding what happened, and it couldn’t be a coincidence that Blake was living with Yang, and Weiss came to her. </p>
<p>She closed her book and set it back down on the counter to pick her phone up. A quick scroll through her contacts and she was drafting a new text message.</p>
<p>‘I thought about what you said before we left. I want to help.’</p>
<p>It didn’t take long for Blake to reply. Velvet knew she would. She wasn’t sure why, but she had a feeling, especially since she figured wanting an answer was weighing on her, too. </p>
<p>‘Want to meet this weekend?’</p>
<p>Velvet breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Sure. Let me know where and when.’</p>
<p>At least this was one less thing someone was waiting for, she thought to herself just as the oven timer sounded out. “Make that two,” Velvet smiled.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everyone! At this point, since I'm not great at keeping hard dates with how my schedule is so turned upside down, chapters will just be within a window timeframe. Expect Esoteric Banalities in the first half of the week and Quotidian Solicitude in the last half of the week. </p>
<p>I won't lie. I'm having a weird time lately, but I want you all to know that I really enjoy all of the comments I've been getting. They really do make me feel better. I know there's the whole bit about validation and whatnot from comments, but it's a bit more than that. </p>
<p>Anyway, before I get sidetracked with all of that, I hope you all enjoyed this. Weiss and Blake have some things to figure out before talking to Yang. (Or, they think they do, at least... Well, Blake does, anyway.)</p>
<p>And, if you haven't done so, feel free to check out my other fic, Quotidian Solicitude. It's updating weekly as well~ ♥</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Coco’s morning started in a regular fashion for one of her days off. The morning light was nowhere to be seen behind the shaded curtains she insisted on using for her days off, letting her sleep to her heart’s content. Was it ideal to sleep so late? Probably not, but after weeks of high-stress crunch time getting designs for the next season lined up with another couple weeks to go, the extra sleep was something she knew she needed. Besides, the first day was always the hardest. Velvet knew how difficult stuff like this was and knew how much sleep meant for Coco who hardly seemed to sleep even six hours a night otherwise. </p>
<p>The bedroom was dim and Coco rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling. Was she awake on her own, or did a sound stir her? She sat up to look around the room and noticed Velvet gathering up the dirty laundry to run a load. </p>
<p>“Hey, you,” Velvet smiled at Coco. </p>
<p>“Mm, what time is it?” Coco blinked again and got her bearings. She thought it had to be past ten, but wasn’t sure. She didn’t know when the two had actually fallen asleep, but it was pretty late. They had a late dinner and watched a movie, and that led to the bedroom, and… Coco’s mouth pulled up into a smile as she remembered. </p>
<p>“It’s almost eleven. You were out for a while.”</p>
<p>“Almost like someone wore me out,” Coco remarked with a smirk. </p>
<p>Velvet blushed and turned away to focus on gathering clothes up for the wash again. “If you’re done being dirty, I should start the laundry before I go.”</p>
<p>Coco raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Are we heading somewhere? I thought we didn’t have anything planned for today.”</p>
<p>Velvet tilted her head to the side and looked to Coco again. “I told you about it the other day. I have a lunch date with a friend, remember? Then afterward I was going to pick up stuff for dinner. Unless, of course, you wanted to go do the shopping for me,” she teased.</p>
<p>Dramatically flopping back down in bed, Coco rolled to her side to face Velvet. “Mm, not today. Too tired,” she sighed in exaggeration. </p>
<p>“Thought so,” Velvet laughed and finished filling the laundry basket. “There’s coffee in the pot still. It’s still fresh. And a few scones left from yesterday.” She walked to the bed and leaned down to peck a quick kiss. </p>
<p>“You spoil me, Velvs.”</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>Weiss slid into the booth after Blake with a sigh. Ever since the cemetery visit, Blake noticed herself pulling away from Weiss in several ways. She couldn’t admit to missing the close company of the spirit, not when she knew that Weiss and Yang were engaged. Are engaged? Life and post-life relationships got complicated. And she also couldn’t admit to feeling any sort of thing for Yang with Weiss there as well. She found herself thinking that the entire situation was complicated. Her behaviors had definitely been noticed by both women, prompting Yang to ask her several times if everything was okay. Blake wasn’t sure how to answer that because the truth was what she was needing to seek help in telling her. Instead, she told her a lie about still feeling upset about Emerald. </p>
<p>And Weiss had definitely been one to notice the distance Blake had placed between them. The same tricks she had used to keep Weiss at a safe distance from Yang most days she had also employed on herself at times. To her credit, Weiss hadn’t brought it up after the first few times. </p>
<p>“How long until she gets here?” Weiss asked and looked over at Blake. </p>
<p>Blake pulled her phone out of her bag and unlocked it. “We’re here a little early it looks like.” Weiss nodded and was quiet for a moment. “Do you still want to do this?”</p>
<p>The question pulled Weiss’ attention. “I do. I think I do, at least.” Blake could see the hesitation in her eyes. It was the same indecision that she saw in several other spirits she had helped before. The big decision to do something about their existence in the present plane, whether it be to remain or leave, always caused an existential crisis. The big misconception people tended to have about ghosts was about how much of their un-life they knew about. It was like every other person’s life on the planet, though. One day they come into existence without a purpose and are forced to find it for themselves. Nobody has it figured out from the start, and some people never do. Finding peace with existence is all anyone, living or dead, wanted. </p>
<p>“It’s going to be alright,” Blake whispered. “Remember, the end decision is yours. Whether you go or stay, it’s up to you.”</p>
<p>Weiss nodded and sighed. “I know. I just hope that Yang and Coco can get over things, though.” Through the window behind Blake, Weiss saw a familiar gold car pass by and her expression changed. “Velvet’s here.”</p>
<p>Blake looked out the window and could see familiar faunus ears standing up as the woman exited the car. “Right on time, too,” she smiled and turned back to Weiss. She reached for the napkin dispenser and shifted it slightly so it sat at an angle to let Velvet at least glimpse where Weiss sat when she got there. It didn’t take long and the bells on the door jingled and Blake waved her hand to get the woman’s attention.</p>
<p>“I hope I’m not too late or anything,” Velvet smiled and scooted into the booth. She looked at Blake, then the empty spot next to her, then her gaze drifted to the uneven napkin dispenser. “Ah, so you are here,” she laughed. </p>
<p>“Yeah, we’re both here,” Blake laughed and turned her head to see Weiss smile softly. </p>
<p>“How’s Coco?” Weiss asked Blake. </p>
<p>“She’s asking how Coco is.”</p>
<p>“Hmm? Oh, she’s alright. Usually, her first day off is spent lazing about during crunch time like this. Last prep for the next season and whatnot, but Monday is a holiday, so she has three days off this time,” Velvet grinned. “She was just waking up when I took off.” </p>
<p>Weiss smiled at that, clearly some memory of how things were between them all before coming to mind. Blake wasn’t sure what happened, and if circumstances were different, she was sure the memory would have been shared and a pleasant conversation recalling the past would happen, but being unable to properly talk with the other woman present, Weiss resigned herself to be quiet. </p>
<p>“You haven’t ordered yet, have you?”</p>
<p>“Oh, no, we just got here a little bit ago. We were waiting for you,” Blake explained as a waitress approached.</p>
<p>The start of the meeting went smoothly. Blake, Weiss, and Velvet all exchanged pleasantries while they waited for their food to arrive. Nobody wanted to bring up the elephant in the room, the main reason for the meeting, but they all knew it would need to be addressed sooner rather than later. Midway through the meal, both Velvet and Blake stared down at their food, not eating much more. </p>
<p>Weiss looked between the two of them and rolled her eyes. “Is nobody going to say anything?”</p>
<p>Blake looked up at her and frowned. “Hmm?” The sound brought Velvet to attention and she looked to Blake. </p>
<p>“It’s been at least five minutes and nobody has said a word, and neither of you have been eating, either,” Weiss continued and pointed between their plates. “Just… Ask Velvet who she thinks we need to start with. Coco or Yang? We need to get this sorted out and it’s getting on my nerves sitting here doing nothing.”</p>
<p>“Weiss wants to know who you think we should talk to first about settling things between them, Coco or Yang?” Blake looked to Velvet.</p>
<p>Velvet’s eyes drifted to near the napkin dispenser and she could see the figure of Weiss looking her direction. “I- I can talk to Coco, but I think if Yang were to approach first, Coco would be willing to talk. So maybe we should get through to her first?”</p>
<p>Blake’s eyes moved to the ghost next to her who only seemed to sit and think. She couldn’t tell what was going on behind the pale blue eyes, but it was clear the gears were turning. Blake couldn’t disagree with the situation that Velvet proposed, so it was up to Weiss to give the final word. </p>
<p>“Do we do the thing like we did with Velvet? The reflection bit? Because I don’t know if that will work. I wish I could actually talk to her, instead of through you to her. There’s… A lot to say, but-” Weiss hesitated. Blake could see the tears beginning to form in her eyes and Weiss quickly wiped her face with her hand, turning away from the two faunus women. </p>
<p>“What did she say?” Velvet asked.</p>
<p>“Um-” Blake turned back to Velvet. “She said that talking to Yang first would be good. But, she wants to talk with her. Not through me to her.”</p>
<p>“Is that possible? I mean, I don’t know what all uh- what all ghosts can do.”</p>
<p>Blake closed her eyes and winced. There was one instance she could remember and it was not pleasant. Before Velvet could reach out to try and comfort her, Blake opened her eyes again. “It’s possible, but it’s… unpleasant. And I refuse to do it.” Weiss and Velvet both stared at Blake, waiting for her to go on. “Not all spirits can do it, mind you. Similar to how not everybody can speak multiple languages or run a marathon. It’s a skill that takes a lot of practice, and it takes a lot of both participants.” </p>
<p>Equal growing looks of concern spread across Weiss and Velvet’s faces. </p>
<p>“It’s possession. Despite how it appears in legends and stories, full-body possession is actually a mutual effort. The host has to willingly let them in, otherwise, the spirit can’t do much. But I won’t do it.” Blake turned to Weiss. “And I won’t let you do it to anyone else, either. It’s not-” She frowned. “It’s not something pleasant for anyone, you included.”</p>
<p>Velvet sat quietly and chewed on her bottom lip and Weiss’ look of concern only grew. “You said full-body, but what about partial?” Velvet asked. </p>
<p>Blake blinked and turned back. “What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“Well, what about instead of full possession, it was partial? Like, could Weiss maybe use your hand to write a message? If it would be in her handwriting, it could work as a good ice breaker. She could write notes to both Yang and Coco to help ease into the conversation.”</p>
<p>Blake placed her elbows on the table and leaned forward, resting her face in her hands. She sighed. “Maybe. I mean- It’s possible.” She’d never attempted to do a partial possession, or let herself be partially possessed. Blake only knew that the spirit who possessed her in the past was… vile. The meshing of memories and feelings left her feeling simply gross. She shuddered and a tingling sensation appeared on her arm. No, spread through her arm. She opened her eyes to see Weiss’ hand touching her. </p>
<p>“Are you okay?” the ghost asked. “I’m sorry about this.” Sadness and regret colored Weiss’ expression and Blake’s heart sank. Of course, Weiss was different from the past spirits she had helped. Especially the one who… No, that was a memory best left forgotten. Thankfully nothing from that brief moment wound up doing any harm, but the banishment she had to perform after wasn’t exactly fun. </p>
<p>“Yeah, um…” Blake sighed and breathed unsteadily. “I’m okay. We can try this. But, and this is important, when I say stop, you stop.”</p>
<p>Velvet sat quietly and watched Blake talk with Weiss in the reflection on the metal napkin dispenser. </p>
<p>“Alright,” Weiss agreed. </p>
<p>Blake turned and got a notebook and pen out of her bag, quickly flipped to a blank page, and held the pen in her hand. “Just place your arm in mine and focus on filling my arm. Picture wearing it like a glove.” Weiss hesitated and looked at Blake. “What is it?” the feline faunus asked, turning to the ghost.</p>
<p>“I’m left-handed,” she said almost sheepishly.</p>
<p>“Oh,” Blake laughed. “Alright then.” She switched the pen to her left hand and shifted on the seat so Weiss could better angle. </p>
<p>Weiss scooted behind Blake and practically hugged her from behind, partially leaning through her shoulder which caused them both to shiver. She reached her hand into Blake’s own and concentrated like she was told. Both women weren’t sure what to expect, but Blake’s hand twitched. It lifted off the page and dropped the pen. </p>
<p>“Easy, easy,” she whispered. </p>
<p>“Sorry,” Weiss mumbled and picked the pen back up. “This is… it’s weird. It feels weird.”</p>
<p>“It does, doesn’t it?”</p>
<p>“Can you hold the notebook still with your other hand, please?” Weiss asked. When Blake complied, she started to try writing. She started with her name. She wrote ‘Hello’ a number of times. She wrote Blake’s name. Then Velvet’s name. Yang’s name. All of it in her flowing script. Across the table, Velvet watched, amazed, and kept glancing between Blake and the page on the table. </p>
<p>“You’re getting the hang of it. But, stop, please. My hand is cramping.”</p>
<p>Weiss immediately pulled her hand out and Blake’s arm jumped, half throwing the pen back on the seat next to her. “Sorry,” she yelped. </p>
<p>“It’s fine. It’s just a lot. I’m not, well, left-handed,” Blake explained and stretched her hand. </p>
<p>Opposite them, Velvet smiled and leaned forward to look at the words written down. “It’s definitely Weiss’ handwriting,” she smiled and looked back up to Blake. “I think this will work.”</p>
<p>Blake continued to flex her hand but looked over to Velvet with a look of relief. Weiss did the same and relaxed back against the seat seeming relieved as well.</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>“Of course Therese had to be sick,” Yang mumbled to herself as she wandered down the sidewalk. She had been having a relaxing enough day off when her phone rang. If it wasn’t for needing the money, she would have ignored the call. Part of her hoped it wasn’t being called into work and it was something else, but no. Therese, Yang thought, was probably too hungover to go in and Marie was already closing, so of course, ‘light-duty Yang’ got called to fill in the gaps and act as another pretty face. </p>
<p>She shifted the backpack on her good shoulder and sighed, wishing it would be time for the stupid brace to come off already. It was getting close, but she really didn’t want to risk removing it and re-injure herself. The warnings she got about how the fracture becoming a larger break if she didn’t follow orders were enough to dissuade her from disobeying. </p>
<p>Yang crossed the street at the crosswalk, thankful that at least the cloud coverage wasn’t too bad. The sky didn’t look like it would be pouring rain that day, at least. Still, she was thankful to have remembered to tuck her umbrella in her bag. Or, more specifically, that Blake had told her to do it a few days ago just in case. All of the stores she passed on the street seemed to be busy enough for a Saturday, and the sidewalks were relatively empty, making Yang’s walk go easy enough. </p>
<p>As she turned a corner, she caught sight of something in the corner of her eye that made her heart jump. </p>
<p>“Weiss?” She looked up to the cafe window across the street thinking she saw the bright white of the girl’s hair for a moment, but no. It wasn’t Weiss. Instead, she saw Blake and… Velvet? What are they doing together? Yang frowned. Something about it didn’t add up. As far as she knew, the two didn’t know each other, so why were they there, together? She was about to go over to the cafe and confront them, especially Velvet. Did Coco send her to check on Yang via Blake? Was that why Blake was acting so weird lately? But seeing the two women stand up from the table about to leave, she decided better of the plan and turned to storm off, returning to her original destination… Work.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everyone!</p>
<p>I debated uploading this chapter this week or waiting until next week because tons of people are busying up for the end of the year holiday mess, but I decided to post it up for everyone because I'm still rather excited about having more of this out for people. </p>
<p>All of the attention this gets has me extremely happy, especially reading comments and getting reaction feedback on the story, especially knowing what's to come and seeing some of the speculations being made. I love it all. Thank you for being invested in this with me. It means a ton to me. I only hope you all continue to enjoy this.</p>
<p>Anyway, I also have another story, Quotidian Solicitude, that I have that has been pointed out to be a bit more autobiographical than intended, if anyone is interested in that, maybe give it a look. </p>
<p>I hope you all have a great week, regardless of what you do or don't celebrate. Stay safe. And I'll be back most likely this weekend with the Quotidian Solicitude chapter~ ♥</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>SLAM</p>
<p>Velvet jumped from the loud sound echoing through the house. Her ears twitched and she turned to the direction the sound came from. “Coco? Was that you?” she called out and cautiously stepped out of the kitchen to look towards the front door. Coco had left earlier for work and she wasn’t expecting her back for another five or six hours. Still, Velvet was hopeful it was her partner and not someone trying to break into the house. </p>
<p>SLAM</p>
<p>The sound made her jump again. Velvet looked around for something to use as a weapon and came up empty. She dashed back into the kitchen to grab something. Another loud slam against the door increased her urgency. Loud scratches like something clawing at the door urged her on and she grabbed the first things within reach; a large knife and a meat tenderizer. She leaped back out into the other room and slid on the floor in her socks to come to a stop next to the door. She had to stand on the tips of her toes to peek out the window of the door, but she didn’t see anything immediately. Had whatever or whoever left the premises, she didn’t know. </p>
<p>Just as she was about to sink back down off her toes, another slam on the door sounded out, and scratching started up. Through the window, she could see the top of a large dog’s head and it starts barking. Dropping the tenderizer, Velvet jumped back from the door and fell on her rear, knife still held tight in her hand, but when she landed she let it drop to the floor. Her heart pounded faster and faster, but she knew it was just a dog. One of the neighbor dogs must have gotten out and the owner should be by soon to get it… Right?</p>
<p>Sitting down for a moment, Velvet got her bearings again. It was just a dog. The door was locked. It couldn’t get in. She reached out to pick the knife up and winced when she saw a small nick in the floor from where she dropped it. Hopefully, Coco wouldn’t notice. Not that she would mind, but Velvet didn’t want to explain and share her embarrassment about being afraid of the neighbor dog. She shakily got to her feet and bent over to pick up the tenderizer and head back into the kitchen, wanting to just get on with her day. </p>
<p>Velvet pulled up a stool to the center island of the kitchen and grabbed her phone to message Coco. </p>
<p>‘Do any of the neighbors have a dog that you know of?’</p>
<p>She set her phone down and sighed, hitting the power button on the electric kettle. It was a little late in the day for Velvet to have more coffee, but maybe some tea to go with a snack would be good. Her phone buzzed. </p>
<p>‘The couple across the street has one. Why do you ask? Everything alright?’</p>
<p>The confirmation relieved Velvet some. ‘I think it got out. It’s been at the front door trying to get in.’</p>
<p>‘I’ll call them and let them know.’</p>
<p>Velvet smiled. ‘Thanks, love.’</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>Angelo hummed to himself in the kitchen. Blake could hear it from the front podium and it brought a smile to her face. She wasn’t sure what song it was, and she had to admit he couldn’t carry the best of tunes, but it was still comforting to hear after the lunch rush. With the afternoon slowing everything down and lunch customers slowly leaving, Blake found herself with more time. </p>
<p>Normally Rosa would wander the dining area and relieve some of the other workers for breaks, but Angelo had said she wasn’t feeling too well that morning. She insisted on coming in, but Angelo being sneaky left without her. It wasn’t the first time that had happened, and Blake was sure it wouldn’t be the last. The phone rang at three and Blake knew who it was before she answered. Of course, it was Rosa who had to tell Blake all about how much of a stinker Angelo was for leaving her at home to rest with nothing to do. After a few minutes, she had passed the phone to him and he got another earful. Ezra mentioned it was the third time she called that day and had talked with most of the workers at some point to check in with them. </p>
<p>The last couple in the dining area looked familiar to Blake. She recognized them as regulars to the restaurant, stopping in at least once or twice a week. The two men looked to be in their late fifties and just from how they gazed at each other, Blake could tell the little lunch dates they had meant a lot to them. They usually asked for Ezra by name, always joking with him and playfully teasing. It always brought a smile to Blake’s face seeing the regulars have their favorite servers. </p>
<p>Waving Ezra over, Blake told him she’s going to slip to the back and grab a tea. </p>
<p>“Oh, go for it,” Ezra told her. “You’ve been up here for like three hours non-stop anyway. I got the front for a few.”</p>
<p>“Thanks,” Blake smiled and left for the kitchen. As she went, she saw Ezra pull a chair up to the couple’s table and sit with them. </p>
<p>“Doing alright out there?” Angelo asked, his voice deep and rumbling. Seeing Blake smile though made him laugh rather heartily. He finished cleaning up one of the work stations and wiped his hands on the towel he kept hanging over his shoulder.</p>
<p>“Yeah, it’s just Corcorans out there right now. Ezra’s out there with them,” Blake reassured him. </p>
<p>“Those two, huh? I guess it has been a few days,” Angelo laughed. </p>
<p>Blake smiled and grabbed a clean mug from the rack. “Yeah. I’m only back here to make some tea real quick. I’ll head back out in a sec.”</p>
<p>“Ah, take your time. You’re overdue for a break anyway, aren’t you?” Angelo had moved on to cleaning the next station.</p>
<p>Blake shrugged her shoulders. “I guess. But, it’s not really a big deal. It’s slow out there anyway.”</p>
<p>“Nonsense, go get your tea and sit down for a few,” Angelo insisted. </p>
<p>Blake’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She ignored it while she ran water through the machine to fill her mug. It buzzed again and she rolled her eyes while digging through one of the shelves for the tea she was looking for. Finding it, she tore the pack open and dropped the bag into her mug when her phone buzzed a third time. This time her ears twitched and she huffed as she pulled it out, grabbing her mug to walk out to the dining area and sit at the table in the far corner by the patio windows. </p>
<p>‘Ghjbnnnn’ </p>
<p>‘Shit sorry’</p>
<p>‘Anyway can you pick up paper towels on your way home?’</p>
<p>The messages made Blake roll her eyes again but this time she let out a laugh. It seemed Yang had messed up trying to text her. ‘What did you spill this time?’</p>
<p>‘Nothing we’re just out’</p>
<p>‘Uh-huh’</p>
<p>‘And we could use more milk because something happened to all of it that wasn’t me spilling it’</p>
<p>‘Suuuure. I’ll grab some on the way home.’</p>
<p>‘Thanks you’re the best’</p>
<p>Blake sighed and set her phone on the table in front of her, taking a sip from her tea. Across the room, Ezra still sat talking with the couple and she could see the grin he had. One of the older men at the table had a goofy grin similar to Yang’s and Blake could only shake her head in thought. All she could think of was Yang cleaning up a mess with one hand and she just knew she would have to go back over it later since Weiss wasn’t going to be able to do anything. </p>
<p>Thinking of Weiss though… Blake’s smile dropped and she sighed. That girl… Blake hated to admit it, but she had grown rather attached to her and having her around. She hated how attached she got. It was going to be painful when it came time for Weiss to cross over, but she couldn’t admit that since it would be selfish to say so. She was living with her fiancee. If that wasn’t weird enough, she was also attracted to her fiancee. </p>
<p>Blake shook her head. No, no, no. She wasn’t attracted to Yang. And she wasn’t attracted to Weiss. She did not need that complication in her life right then and neither did the other two. She couldn’t get involved in their personal affairs and complicate things. She was supposed to be a helper for spirits. Not someone who developed feelings for them. She closed her eyes and leaned back. This was why she hated getting involved with anything, from spirits to shifters. It always landed her in a mess.</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>“Velvs? Bunbun? You home?” Coco called out. She had already taken her shoes off and hung her jacket up by the door and looked around the front room and kitchen. “Velvet?” The lights were on, so she figured the girl had to be home somewhere. Her car was in the driveway, Velvet’s jacket was still by the door, her shoes as well. Purse on the kitchen island next to a half-filled mug of tea, still warm. </p>
<p>Coco frowned and walked back through the living room. The bathroom door was open and nobody was inside. A pit of fear started to well up in Coco’s stomach and she quickened her pace heading to the hallway to check the bedroom. No sign of her and the lights were out. The bedroom bathroom was empty as well. The guest room was similarly unoccupied. </p>
<p>“Velvet?” Coco called out again and walked back through the house with a newer sense of urgency. When she entered the kitchen, a sound caused her stomach to plummet. A bark in the back yard. She rushed to the sliding glass door in the kitchen and pulled the curtains back to see-</p>
<p>“Oh, Coco! You’re home!”</p>
<p>Coco felt her legs almost give out from under her with how relieved she felt. In the back yard was Velvet playing with a large dog. One she didn’t recognize, oddly enough, and definitely not the one from across the street. </p>
<p>“Hey, Velvs, where did…” Coco motioned to the dog as she slid the door open to lean outside. The dog bounded over to Coco and she regarded it with some skepticism before reaching a hand down to pet the thing. </p>
<p>“She just showed up earlier. I think she chased off the other dog that was at the front door. She’s friendly though, see?” Velvet knelt down and the dog ran back over to her and half jumped on her, nearly knocking Velvet to the ground. </p>
<p>“Alright, well, I’m sure she belongs to someone around here. She’s got a fancy looking collar on. You better let her get back home and come in,” Coco half laughed, half sighed. </p>
<p>Velvet frowned but got to her feet anyway. She gave the dog some more scratches behind her ears and patted the top of her head. “Good girl. Now, you should go on home. I’m sure someone’s very worried about you,” she smiled. The dog gave a single bark and jumped up to try and lick Velvet’s cheek which caused her to almost fall backward. But, the dog soon got down and ran off around to the front of the house. Velvet dusted herself off and went back inside after Coco.</p>
<p>“I thought you were scared of dogs,” Coco teased. </p>
<p>“I am not,” Velvet huffed. </p>
<p>Coco smirked and stepped close to pull Velvet into a side hug. “Whatever you say.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Very late update. Very, very late. At least it's the right week!</p>
<p>I'll admit that I've been having a bit of a weird time of things this Winter with my seasonal affective disorder. Some years are perfectly manageable, but this one has been particularly rough. Real lack of motivation to really do anything actually productive. Been overly exhausted and tired lately, too. But at least we have passed the peak of the season in the northern hemisphere, meaning days will slowly, slowly, slowly keep getting just a little longer between now and the summer solstice. </p>
<p>Anyway! <br/>I'm hoping you all enjoyed this chapter. This brings us to officially halfway through the story. </p>
<p>With how late this chapter is, I'll give it another day or two until putting up the next chapter of Quotidian Solicitude (if anyone follows that one as well). Also, if you haven't noticed, there's a special Christmas side story for QS I uploaded last week if anyone wants to check it out. </p>
<p>Thank you for reading and thank you for sticking with all of this so far.<br/>Happy new year!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yang flopped onto the couch, rolling to her good side as she went, and groaned loudly. She felt exasperated and her frustration ebbed below the surface, thoughts of everything bubbling in the back of her mind. It had been another slow day at work where she was barely allowed to do anything. All of the customers, even the regulars to the shop, seemed to take pity on her and it was making Yang feel useless. She knew she was stronger than what everyone thought. After leaving home, she had never had to rely on anyone before and it was weighing on her heavily. </p>
<p>With Weiss, it was different. Yang relied on Weiss because she trusted her. The same went for Weiss relying on Yang. The two had known how stubborn the other was, and it took a fair amount of time for them to trust one another, and when they finally did, it was the most comfortable and happy Yang could ever remember being. But then the accident. Yang sighed and rolled onto her back, using her good arm to prop herself back up against the arm of the couch. She felt around on the back of the couch to find the remote that had fallen between the back and the cushions and held it up triumphantly. First try. At least something was going well. </p>
<p>A few button presses later and a daytime soap opera came to life on the screen. All of her downtimes had given Yang plenty of opportunity to get invested in the cheesy romance drama and it let her feel an escape of sorts. It didn’t matter if she missed any episodes because the day to day stories were ridiculous enough but easy enough to fill in the gaps of. Predictable plots and large overarching stories made the series larger than life while feeling comfortable all the same. The plotline that day followed the hunk star doctor mourning his divorce and falling for the wife of one of the coma victims. Yang couldn’t recall any of their names since the cast was so large and she only caught episodes infrequently, but she recognized the faces. As the doctor and the coma victim’s wife had coffee in the cafeteria together, the astral projected spirit of the man in a coma followed them and learned of the affair. It was all very dramatic with the lighting and music, but things got weird once a witch was introduced and Yang’s attention strayed elsewhere, only paying attention to the show as background noise. </p>
<p>Unknown to Yang, the ghost of her fiancee sat next to the coffee table near the couch and stared at the television in disbelief that she would watch something so droll and pointless. Also unknown to Yang, said ghost had slowly become invested in the plot lines as well. The near-daily soap opera time had become something the ghost looked forward to if for no other reason than it seemed Yang looked more at peace and somewhat happy.</p>
<p><br/>
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<p><br/>
</p>
<p>“Hey, I’m home,” Blake called out as she closed the door behind her. She kicked her shoes off next to the door, not bothering to line them up nicely or even make sure they were right side up. Behind her, she heard the television flipping channels, and, despite it sounding like Yang was simply channel surfing, she had learned from Weiss that Yang was covering up the fact she was watching soap operas. Blake decided not to say anything. </p>
<p>“You’re home early,” Yang commented from the couch after finally deciding to leave on a random animal documentary about pandas. </p>
<p>“Yeah, Rosa over-scheduled and let me leave a bit early,” Blake laughed and dropped her purse on the side table. “Anyway, how did work go?”</p>
<p>Yang huffed. “Oh, you know. Same as always. A lot of standing around doing nothing.”</p>
<p>Blake walked into the living room and pat a head on top of Yang’s head. “I keep telling you to enjoy the downtime. It’s not like they’ll really write up the injured girl for goofing off. Everyone loves you there.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah,” Yang muttered. </p>
<p>“Besides, your sling comes off soon enough anyway, doesn’t it? Didn’t you say it was next week?” Blake asked while continuing into the kitchen. It definitely felt like a tea kind of afternoon and she emptied the kettle to refill it, softly humming as she went. </p>
<p>“Six days is my appointment and they’ll do the scan and let me know. But, hopefully.” Yang sat up on the couch and turned to look at Blake in the kitchen. When Blake looked up from the stove and saw Yang, she smiled and Yang smiled back. </p>
<p>Weiss had gotten up and walked into the kitchen, not bothering to walk around and simply walked through the furniture to get where she wanted to go. Blake had to restrain herself from chastising her since Yang was present, but she flashed her a look that she knew Weiss could interpret, but the ghost simply rolled her eyes. If Blake wasn’t sure before, she was sure then that Weiss was giving her sass, and Weiss knew Blake couldn’t do anything about it right then, not if they wanted to keep Yang in the dark still. “Can we tell her yet?”</p>
<p>Blake knew better than to answer. Instead, she talked to Yang while pulling out two mugs and a box of tea. “Soon at least,” she hummed, hoping the message was sent to Yang as well. It seemed to be understood and Weiss smirked before passing through Blake to head back into the living room and sitting next to the couch again. Blake shuddered. </p>
<p>“Cold draft again?” Yang asked. “I swear, I can never figure out where it’s coming from. All of the windows are fine, and it’s not at the door. It’s not like our ceiling is the issue either.” Beside her, Weiss only giggled at the mischief she was causing. </p>
<p>“It’s definitely weird,” Blake replied and shot Weiss a look. Yang didn’t seem to notice.</p>
<p>Yang laid back down on the couch and groaned in a dramatic fashion. Both Weiss and Blake looked at her and knew that this was the tip of the iceberg of what she was feeling. “Can’t do anything at work. Can’t do anything here. Can’t even find a damn draft. And then the cemetery. What even is my life anymore?” Yang closed her eyes and sighed. </p>
<p>A moment later, the kettle whistled and Blake quickly removed it from the stove, pouring water into the two cups and bringing them to the coffee table by the couch. “I made us some tea,” she spoke softly and set the mugs down. A look over Yang told her that she wasn’t asleep. Blake crouched down next to her and hesitated before reaching a hand out to rest on her shoulder. “You okay?”</p>
<p>“No,” Yang sighed and opened her eyes, turning her head to Blake. “This hasn’t been a very good month, has it?”</p>
<p>Blake shook her head. “It’s been a rough one. Here, sit up.” She stood up and offered a hand to help pull Yang up so she could sit next to her. Settling on the couch, Blake turned to her side to face the blond woman. “You’re getting the brace off soon, though. And things will be better at work, right? So that’s one less thing to worry about. And not having the brace anymore will mean you’re not dependent on anyone at home here, too.” </p>
<p>Yang shrugged her shoulder. “Yeah, I guess.” She gazed down at her lap.</p>
<p>“And I’m sure we’ll figure out that draft problem, soon.” Blake shot a look to Weiss again, a much more serious one and Weiss simply nodded and her head sank in remorse. </p>
<p>“I- Yeah. I’m sure when I’ve got two arms again it’ll be easier to find it. But it’s so frustrating,” Yang sighed. “And the cemetery, I didn’t say anything before, but I’m glad you showed up. Before you did, I ran into someone I really didn’t want to see.” She slumped to the side and leaned against Blake who reached her hand up to rub at Yang’s back and soothe her. “So, um… thank you.”</p>
<p>Weiss watched the two women on the couch and remained quiet. Blake couldn’t exactly decipher her expression but she appeared sullen despite the soft smile she wore. Blake was so distracted looking at Weiss that she didn’t even notice when Yang lifted her head right off. It was Weiss’ facial expression that alerted Blake to any changes. When she turned her head to look, she came face to face with Yang who stared into her eyes. They looked at one another a couple of seconds then Yang glanced down to Blake’s lips. Blake saw her gaze lift to her eyes again and lean in, closing her eyes. </p>
<p>The kiss came as a surprise, but being caught right then, Blake didn’t know what to do. The kiss felt… She was almost ashamed of how much she enjoyed it, and thoughts of Weiss sitting right next to them both came to mind which forced her to pull back out of it, eyes wide. Yang looked at her just as surprised and pulled back as well. </p>
<p>“I-” Yang stammered out, but no words followed. </p>
<p>Blake stood up in a panic and rushed to her room, shutting the door behind her.</p>
<p><br/>
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<p><br/>
</p>
<p>Weiss watched Yang hang her head and lean forward, nearly pressing her face to her knees and let out a muffled sob. She watched her previous fiancee cry in exasperation. Confusion. And a flurry of emotions that she was sure was confusing. She had watched her previous fiancee kiss the woman who was promising to help her move on to the afterlife. </p>
<p>To say Weiss was confused was an understatement. She felt herself almost crackle and wondered what it meant, but figured it was something she would have to ask Blake about later. There was a previous conversation about emotions being tied to her present state and that was enough to ease that one worry off of her mind at least. Weiss could only watch Yang cry for so long before she had to leave the room or else she would begin to cry herself. As she approached Blake’s door, she heard a muffled, “so stupid,” come from the couch and just the tone tugged on her heart harder than anything had that day. </p>
<p>She couldn’t knock on the door and only sighed. Instead, she pressed a hand through and waved a few times before hearing a barely audible “come in” and slipped through the wooden door. Blake sat on the edge of her bed and had her head in her hands. Upon seeing Weiss, she immediately began to apologize. </p>
<p>“I am so, so sorry,” Blake said, her words holding a genuine weight and worry to them that only added to the previous weight of seeing Yang cry. </p>
<p>“Stop. Just… Stop. Please,” Weiss implored and held a hand up to emphasize, hoping to cut off any more needless apologies from the faunus before her. “I’m not upset, but Yang is,” she told Blake. “So, don’t worry about me. I know I don’t have long here, anyway. I’m pretty sure our engagement was nullified when I died, anyway,” she smiled weakly. The attempt at a joke pulled the corner of Blake’s mouth up into a matching forced smile.</p>
<p>“We need to fix this,” Blake sighed. </p>
<p>Weiss had to note that there was a lot of sighing going on in the apartment as of late and it was becoming to be a bit of a bummer to be around. Especially with how vibrant Yang typically was. The contrast was worrying. “We should tell her I’m here.” Blake stayed quiet a moment and looked at Weiss. Weiss would have sworn she saw the thoughts racing behind those bright, deep, golden- Weiss blinked and tried to push inappropriate thoughts from her mind. It was bad enough to be alone with Yang most of the time, she didn’t need to be doing this with Blake, too. Not when there were other issues that needed to be solved. </p>
<p>“This is going to be a big conversation,” Blake admitted.</p>
<p>“I know.”</p>
<p>“I’ve tried to tell her about…” Blake waved a hand around in a circle and simply pointed at the stack of notebooks by her bed, then to Weiss, then to the small bookcase by her bed that had more notebooks. </p>
<p>“We still need to do it. I want to do it. I can’t watch her like this anymore. Please…” </p>
<p>Weiss noticed the defeat in Blake’s posture when she said ‘please’ and that alone gave her a small feeling of relief. Or maybe it was from the silent nod after that. Either way, the two made to leave the bedroom and head into the front room to talk with the blond woman on both of their minds. Blake paused and grabbed a couple of notebooks she had on the top of the stack near her bed, and paused in thought. Weiss was halfway through the door when she noticed Blake wasn’t right behind her. Turning around, she saw the faunus woman grab a pocket mirror from the top of her dresser and then follow along.</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>Yang’s tears ended after a few minutes of sitting alone in the living room. A loud crack of thunder that rolled nearby felt appropriate for the evening that set in. Gray skies outside grew dimmer and dimmer as she wiped at her eyes to dry them. She was feeling foolish enough for kissing her roommate and, arguably, her best friend. It was a moment of weakness and she couldn’t believe she actually did that. Whatever repercussions that were bound to come up, she wished they would be severe just because it’s what she felt she deserved. </p>
<p>The two mugs of tea on the table stopped steaming and were only mildly warm. When Yang picked one up and sipped from it, she realized Blake even made her some of her favorite tea. Yang felt worse and leaned to her good side, letting herself fall over and stare at the television which seemed to be showing an animal rescue show instead of the previous documentary. She debated going back to her room to avoid any upcoming awkwardness since there was no way Blake could hide in there forever, but she couldn’t be bothered to get up right then. </p>
<p>When Blake’s bedroom door opened, Yang winced knowing a very awkward talk was fast approaching. Maybe. Blake could also always just be heading to the restroom. Or the kitchen. Yang closed her eyes and hoped the moment would pass, but soft footfalls told her that wasn’t going to be the case. Still, she didn’t want to open her eyes and stayed laying still on the couch. </p>
<p>“Hey,” Blake’s voice broke the ice and instantly increased the tension of the moment for Yang. But, Blake’s voice was so soft and sounded so concerned, she opened her eyes to look up at her roommate only to find she was crouched next to the couch. </p>
<p>“Hey,” Yang mumbled and stayed laying on her side, meeting Blake’s eyes. </p>
<p>“Um, we- we should probably talk,” Blake forced out with an awkward smile. </p>
<p>“Probably.”</p>
<p>Blake sat down on the floor by the couch and set what looked like two composition books and a makeup mirror down next to the mugs. The pen sticking out the top of one of the books caught her attention and she frowned. It looked like one of the ones she was looking for the other day in the kitchen drawer but couldn’t find. That sneaky… Yang’s eyes were drawn back to Blake who crossed her legs as she sat and leaned forward, her elbows on her thighs. “I’m not upset,” she explained, but Yang noticed her gaze drifted to something to the side of Yang and she looked over in the same direction but didn’t see anything.</p>
<p>“That’s good,” Yang spoke, her words mildly muffled by her cheek still laying against the couch cushion. She still wasn’t sure what to make of the situation or where this was going. </p>
<p>“There’s something I need to show you,” Blake sighed. The sigh alone let Yang know how heavy this was going to get but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she watched the faunus woman with a level of curiosity that she couldn’t explain. Blake reached for the makeup mirror and flipped it open. “Keep looking at my face, okay?”</p>
<p>Yang furrowed her brow but partially nodded.</p>
<p>“And, with the corner of your eye, look into the mirror. But keep your focus on me, just notice the mirror with your peripheral, okay?”</p>
<p>Yang was about to nod again when she saw it. The white hair was unmistakable. She jolted and sat upright to turn and look at where the location in the mirror was showing. “What is this?” she asked and looked around the room.</p>
<p>“Yang, I’ll explain. It’s…” Blake paused. “I suppose, to start, I should tell you that ghosts are real.”</p>
<p>“That was Weiss?” Yang asked and looked around again.</p>
<p>Blake nodded. “She’s here, but you can only see her in your peripheral. It’s why the mirror trick worked. She’s actually to your right, but, here.” She handed the mirror to Yang who frowned and angled the mirror around but could only catch flashes of her. “You- You can’t focus on her. Focus on yourself and just notice her in the side of your vision in it. Yeah- like that.”</p>
<p>Yang stared at herself in the mirror and slowly turned it until a familiar white head of hair came into vision. “Weiss,” Yang whispered and her eyes started watering. She saw Weiss smile and noticed her eyes watering as well. Or, she thought she did. Between the tears and only being able to see her in the corners of her sight, Yang wasn’t completely sure. She saw Weiss reach her hand out and her arm felt really cold, but it turned into a strange warm electric sensation and she flinched. </p>
<p>“Careful,” Blake whispered loudly and furrowed her brow to the space next to Yang. </p>
<p>It looked like Weiss’ lips were moving, but Yang couldn’t hear any words. She couldn’t pull her attention away from the mirror trying to make out what it was Weiss was saying but another electric sensation on her arm where she saw Weiss reaching to drew her focus and she lost sight of the ghost next to her again. </p>
<p>“There’s going to be a lot of questions you have, but I brought out some of my notes from over the years that should hopefully help explain some of this all to you. Unfortunately, I’ve had to do almost all of this by myself, taking notes,” Blake explained. “But, Weiss has some things she wants to tell you.”</p>
<p>Yang glanced to Blake before bringing the mirror up again but couldn’t find Weiss anymore. She angled the mirror around some more but couldn’t see her anywhere. </p>
<p>“She’s over here,” Blake smiled, and when Yang looked up at her, she noticed the jerky way Blake’s arm moved and the odd expression she held. One of the composition books lay open on the table and the pen was held in Blake’s left hand. Yang closed her eyes and took a few breaths, the sight almost unnerving her with the mechanical and inorganic way it moved about, but when she looked again Blake was writing in beautiful script on a blank page.</p>
<p>‘Yang, since seeing you at the cemetery and gaining my memories back, I’ve wanted to talk with you and tell you how much I’ve missed you, too. I heard what you said, and I want you to know you shouldn’t be scared.’</p>
<p>Yang looked at Blake to wonder how she was writing with her left hand like that but she saw Blake watching her. The act of meeting Blake’s eyes while she wrote in a near-identical way to Weiss was strange on its own, but the content of the message is what really unnerved her. Had Blake overheard what she said and this was all a huge, elaborate… Yang didn’t know what. But, she was sure Blake wouldn’t do that. She looked down at the page again.</p>
<p>‘I’m very proud of Ruby, and I’m happy for her. But, I am also worried about you. I want you to know that I don’t blame Coco or you or anyone for what happened. I don’t want you to hold onto that anger because it’s clearly hurting you. For me, let it go. Please.’</p>
<p>Blake glanced down to the page and back up at Yang. The blond woman only saw the motion as a blur in her eyes through the newly formed tears clouding her vision. She could only stare at the words on the page. Yang knew there would be a lot to talk about with Blake, and it would take a lot of explaining for her to understand it all. She wasn’t unintelligent, but at times it sure felt like it. Times like discovering a whole aspect to reality that she assumed for her entire life was make-believe.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everyone!<br/>This is another chapter I've been looking forward to and excited about posting. Relationships take time, but this is a big step for the three of them. And Yang knows about Weiss now!</p>
<p>This chapter also brings me back on track with my upload schedule! Hopefully, I'll be able to get things flowing properly again after that big slump I had. All of the supportive comments have really helped, and I'm thankful for all of them. They definitely were a big boost for me to keep going, so thank you. ♥♥♥</p>
<p>I hope you all enjoyed this one~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Talks with Yang went better than Weiss and Blake had anticipated. All of the initial shocks of ghosts being real had worn off within a few hours, and the night progressed to question after question. It all was something that Weiss thought about in the days since, and it was still on her mind as she wandered away from the apartment building, down the street, with no destination in mind. </p>
<p>From what Weiss recalled, Blake had said that past attempts to let people in on the strange world around her didn’t go exactly as planned simply because she lacked the proof to back up what she was saying. As a small child, seeing the strange things the world had to offer and realizing that others couldn’t or wouldn’t acknowledge them was a hard lesson to learn. Weiss could only empathize with being dismissed like that as her own childhood had left her feeling largely ignored as well, and from what Weiss could recall of her time with Yang, it wasn’t such an uncommon feeling for her either. The three of them definitely had some things in common with childhood difficulties. </p>
<p>Weiss wandered further away from the businesses of the main roads, passing down an alley to cut across into a more residential area. Houses lined the street she emerged on and it only took a few seconds to remember where she was. Her memories kept coming back to her, and with them came some more knowledge about the city and getting around. She had taken to going on walks more lately and often found herself going in ways she didn’t quite know only to have more memories pop up when she got to destinations. This time, it seemed, was a park, smaller than the one Blake had taken her to. </p>
<p>Content to let herself walk on autopilot, Weiss returned to her thoughts. While discussing things with Yang had been such an awkward time, it did lift a deal of weight that was feeling piled on her. The last bit, she assumed, would be to see things with Coco addressed. And that… That was going to be something else entirely. Until she could find a better and easier way to talk with Yang, Weiss was going to automatically be at a disadvantage to express anything without Blake around. It seemed her time in the plane she found herself in was tied to the faunus woman, but it wasn’t something she minded. Blake had grown on her and, while she felt guilty for thinking it after learning about the engagement she had in life, Weiss could only admit that she found the woman attractive and pleasant to be around. </p>
<p>Velvet and Coco, though. From Blake’s talks with Velvet, it was apparent that the guilt the designer still held was massive. Yang had admitted to making that situation worse over the years through her comments she shot the other woman’s way, but Weiss felt determined to somehow find a way to smooth this over. Perhaps that was what was preventing her from departing. </p>
<p>With the park coming into view, Weiss slowed her pace not realizing it had quickened to something of a power walk instead of a leisurely stroll as originally intended. She found that thoughts and talks of fulfilling her last wishes were something of a stressor, but she refused to give much headway into her other wishes to remain rather than leave.</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>Without her phone, Blake wasn’t sure what time it was. The night before was something of a blur for her, high emotions, and consoling her roommate. Or, maybe not consoling. The tears weren’t ones of sadness, but overwhelming emotion in general. Regardless, Blake rolled over on her side to see the whole room before her in daylight and groaned. Her ears lay back flat and she pulled the blanket over her head again to hide in the darkness for a bit longer. </p>
<p>Where even was her phone? Blake’s mind kept wandering instead of shutting down for more sleep. It had to be in the living room. Probably where she left it on the coffee table the night before. That would make sense. And Yang… Did she make it to her room, or did she fall asleep on the couch again? Blake frowned and opened her eyes. She was going to have to get up and check on things to be sure. </p>
<p>The moment her feet touched the floor she shivered. It may be approaching spring, but everything sure didn’t feel like it. Blake shuffled to her desk and grabbed the robe she had draped over the back of it and started to pull it on. Next was slipping her feet into her slippers and finally exiting her room. </p>
<p>A quick glance told her all she needed to know. A mop of blond hair draped over the arm of the couch and soft snores told her that Yang, indeed, did not make it to her room. The faunus woman yawned and walked into the front room to see her roommate asleep on the couch with one of the notebooks Blake had brought out laying on her chest. At least she was making an effort to learn and understand. Blake had to commend her for it. The entire thing had gone far better than she originally thought it would, especially considering that the news that her dead fiancee was there with her. With a sigh, Blake reached for her phone on the table and saw it was almost noon. Still, she was thankful for the day off, even if a portion of it had been spent sleeping in. </p>
<p>Tea seemed to be in order for the two women and Blake was set on making that happen. She set the kettle to heat and grabbed two mugs from the dish rack to use. Yang being the heavy sleeper she was didn’t wake despite the noise Blake made in the kitchen. A quick look through the fridge told her that shopping was in order soon, but that was a problem for the future Blake and future Yang. Right then, toast would suffice for breakfast. With the toaster going and the kettle heating, Blake wandered back to the coffee table and grabbed the remote to turn the TV on. Anything was better than nothing for background noise and the animal documentaries were a fine distraction. The sound of the kettle brought Blake back to the kitchen and she finished making tea.</p>
<p>Before she could bring the mug around to Yang, Blake felt a chilled shock on her arm and glanced to see Weiss there next to her. “And where did you disappear to?”</p>
<p>Weiss looked a bit guilty but only stated, “Out for a walk.”</p>
<p>Blake eyed her a moment and shrugged. It was too early to figure anything out, and the ghost woman was entitled to her free time just as anyone else. “Everything okay?” she asked instead. </p>
<p>“Everything is fine. Just… a lot on my mind. But, we should talk to Velvet soon. Let her know to go ahead and talk with Coco,” Weiss frowned. Blake could tell there was more to this and if she had to wager a guess, it was doubt. She had seen that look before. The man who chose to look after his family had a similar frown of determination. </p>
<p>Blake regarded Weiss for a moment, waiting to see if there was any crack in her expression, but simply gave a single nod before speaking. “I’ll message her in a bit. My phone needs to charge and I need to recharge. Last night was rough.”</p>
<p>“Who are we messaging?” Yang’s voice from the couch sounded more like a groan than anything. She grasped for the back of the couch to pull herself up with and she yawned, letting the sound carry on in an exaggerated fashion while stretching. Blake glanced between the blond and the ghost. The latter of which simply nodded toward Yang, telling Blake to answer her. </p>
<p>“Well, Weiss and I were going to talk with Velvet and look into talking with Coco,” Blake hesitantly answered. </p>
<p>Yang remained quiet for a bit and simply nodded before getting to her feet and heading into the kitchen. As she passed Blake, she shivered. “Ah, stupid draft- Wait, that was Weiss, wasn’t it?” She turned to look where she just walked and Blake nodded. Blake could see the small smirk on the spirit’s face.</p>
<p>“Yeah, that was Weiss.”</p>
<p>Yang furrowed her brow at the space she assumed Weiss was before turning back to the toaster and grabbing a piece out. She pointed to the mugs on the counter and looked at Blake who only nodded again, confirming one of them was for her. “Thanks.”</p>
<p>“No problem.” </p>
<p>“Is it safe to assume Weiss wants me to make up with Coco?” Yang asked and took a drink from the mug and a bit of toast. Weiss reached a hand out to slowly set on Yang’s arm, this time not startling her, and hoping to reassure her. </p>
<p>Blake took a drink from her own mug. “That’s the plan so far. We’ve been trying to figure out the reason for her return and it’s been seeming to point to her wishes for things to settle down between the two of you.” She turned and leaned back against the counter. “That’s where we’re at, anyway.”</p>
<p>Yang scarfed down the rest of her toast and drank most of her tea. “Mm, alright, well, let me get cleaned up. Or, at least change my clothes and brush my hair.” Weiss and Blake looked at her a moment before she spoke again after not hearing a response. “Are… are we not doing this today?”</p>
<p>Weiss laughed and shook her head. “Raring to go as always.”</p>
<p><br/>
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<p><br/>
</p>
<p>“Be honest. Do you not want to cross over?” Blake crossed her arms and looked at Weiss while asking the question and Weiss could tell she was genuinely wondering. </p>
<p>It was no secret that the window for her to go back was fast approaching its close and the decision would need to be made soon. All of her senses were growing more intense, her emotions affecting her form more and more. Even though she couldn’t see it herself, Blake had noted that her overall color tint fluctuated with her mood. She likened it to a photo filter, explaining something or other about temperature, but Weiss couldn’t remember all of it. She had other things on her mind at the time. </p>
<p>“I… don’t know what I want,” Weiss answered, her voice falling into a murmur. </p>
<p>The pair of them stood in the kitchen while Yang took a nap in her room. After grabbing lunch at the place across the street and making plans to meet Velvet later, the blond felt exhausted and retired to her room. Weiss knew that everything was still new in her mind. Not being able to see her was definitely bothering her despite what Yang said. </p>
<p>Blake hopped up on the counter to sit, her legs hanging over the side, and she picked up her mug of tea to take a sip. “I think you do but you don’t want to say. Or, you’re afraid of what it could mean in the long term if you were to stay.” She set the mug down, not looking away from Weiss. </p>
<p>Weiss sighed. She had to know that someone with as much experience in dealing with cases like this would be able to read her so easily. Even if most of her life was spent trying to suppress her emotions thanks to her parents and their insistence on being proper. “I really don’t want to go back,” Weiss finally admitted. “But I think I should.” A look down the hall to Yang’s room was enough to send the message.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm sorry for the late update. I've been going through some things, but I wanted to say that I'll be okay. I'm still here. Updates may be slow coming, but I haven't abandoned anything. </p>
<p>Anyway, um... I hope you enjoy this chapter. Setting some things up with this, and there's big things on the horizon in the story, too. </p>
<p>Thank you for sticking with me through this all.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Coco sipped at her coffee. The sky was dim, the sun not yet risen, and she was awake despite her best efforts to have slept in. With the weeks of strenuous hours behind her, it was the small lull between season planning and she had intended to take advantage of the shorter hours that week. No longer did she need to head to work before eight in the morning and have to stay until eight at night. At least, not for a few weeks. But, as she learned, sleeping schedules can be difficult to change. </p>
<p>“Morning, love,” Velvet hummed as she entered the kitchen in her robe, shuffling up to the counter to pour herself some coffee. “Trouble sleeping?”</p>
<p>“Morning, Velvs,” Coco smiled. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”</p>
<p>Velvet waggled her ears and shrugged. “I get up about now anyway, though.” Cup in hand, Velvet walked over and bent down to peck a quick kiss to Coco and take the seat next to her. “You don’t go in until ten this week?”</p>
<p>“Mm,” Coco hummed. “Next week, too.”</p>
<p>“Maybe you’ll finally have enough energy for a makeup date?” Velvet teased and raised an eyebrow, leaning over to nudge shoulders with her girlfriend. </p>
<p>“I remember. I didn’t forget,” Coco chuckled. There wasn’t any way she was going to forget, not with how Velvet kept dropping not-so-subtle hints about it. Not that she would have forgotten anyway. Falling asleep from exhaustion before plans to go to dinner wasn’t something someone could easily live down. “Maybe this Saturday, same place?”</p>
<p>“Sounds perfect. If I have to pump you full of coffee, I will.”</p>
<p>“With that planning out of the way, what other plans do you have? Anything major today?” Coco leaned back in her chair and drained the last of her cup. </p>
<p>“Just another lunch date with a friend,” Velvet replied.</p>
<p>“Seems you’re having a bunch of these lunch dates lately. Is she cute? Should I be worried?” she teased with a grin. </p>
<p>Velvet’s cheeks flushed. “It’s not like that,” she protested. “I could never-”</p>
<p>“I know, I know. I was only teasing,” Coco conceded and got a light punch in the arm for her efforts. </p>
<p>“There is something I want to talk with you about, though,” Velvet mumbled and shifted in her seat. She looked down at her mug not making eye contact with Coco. “It’s about Weiss. She’s…”</p>
<p>Coco immediately frowned and stiffened but seeing the discomfort Velvet had at talking about it, she slightly softened. “What about her?” she asked. Coco knew she still had a lot to process over everything, and she knew Velvet had been patient with her. Especially after the accident when she was recovering. The crash really did a number on her. She would always have the scars to prove it, but she was thankful they would be hidden beneath her hair and beret. Weiss, though. She could remember waking up, even with the fog of everything, she remembered the anxiety she had while asking about the white-haired girl. Nobody wanted to tell her for a while. Velvet was the one to break the news to her, and she could remember the tears in her eyes. Coco hated that sight and hated herself for putting everyone in the position they all were in. </p>
<p>“I don’t have to look and I know the expression you’re making. But, Weiss doesn’t blame you,” Velvet sighed and finally looked up. “She doesn’t blame any of us.”</p>
<p>Coco furrowed her brow. “How would you know that?” While they never talked about it explicitly, Velvet did try and tell her that she thought Weiss wouldn’t blame her in the past. It became an unspoken thing between them to not talk about it except when things got especially hard around the anniversary. But this… she wanted to know where this was coming from.</p>
<p>“She- she said so herself. The faunus we passed the one day, the one you told me to not worry about, she-”</p>
<p>“No. No psychics, or mediums, or any of that. You know how I feel about them,” Coco frowned. </p>
<p>“She’s- Blake’s not a medium or anything like that. Weiss is still here. Her ghost is. I saw her,” Velvet tried to explain. </p>
<p>Coco saw the sincerity in the faunus woman’s expression, could see the look in her eyes. She couldn’t see any hint of untruth, and she wanted to believe her. Coco wanted to believe that Weiss didn’t blame her for what happened, but it was only last year that she came to terms with never knowing. Accepting that the guilt from the accident would simply be something she had to work through on her own. That stubbornness and pride was something she shared with Weiss, and in some ways, it was her own way of honoring the girl. Honoring her best friend. She groaned out a sigh. </p>
<p>“Blake is Yang’s roommate, too. The call yesterday, remember? I talked with her. Yang even wants to apologize,” Velvet continued. </p>
<p>The thought of at least making peace with Yang sounded appealing, but Coco had to question if she really deserved it. She refused to give herself any hope about things, though. It sounded too easy. Yang’s mysterious roommate appears, tells everyone Weiss is around, and wants them to be friends again, and Yang wanting to apologize. She sighed again and stood to get more coffee knowing Velvet’s eyes would follow her the entire way. When she turned around, mug in hand, she gazed for a long moment at the rabbit faunus she called her partner. Her girlfriend. Did she owe it to her, at least, to hear her out? That was the big question, Coco decided. It wasn’t about her in this anymore, but about Velvet. Maybe this was her way of further coming to terms with everything. </p>
<p>“I’m meeting Blake, Yang, and Weiss for lunch today. I hope, and they as well, that we can all talk soon, and Blake can better explain things,” Velvet spoke softly.</p>
<p>“For you, I’ll do it. I’ll give it a shot.” Coco finally answered. “Maybe next week,” she sighed. “I’ll meet them and judge for myself.</p>
<p><br/>
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</p>
<p>Coco sat on an unused set far away from the rest of the others in the studio while she drank her fourth cup of coffee of the day. She didn’t feel like dealing with anyone else right then, wanting to be alone with her thoughts. Everything Velvet had said kept playing in her head. The girl’s soft voice softening the shocking news of everything. She didn’t know why that denial was her first go-to for everything. Well, on some level she did. Ghosts and speaking with the dead sounded absolutely ridiculous to most everyone. Even those who believed in ghosts and claimed to have seen them really hadn’t. Not that Coco could, either, but on some level, she knew of their existence. </p>
<p>Her denial came from not wanting to let go of everything. Not wanting to forgive herself because without that weight keeping her grounded, she was afraid of who she was. Where her focus would be. The guilt was her only tie to Weiss and without it she would feel the real weight of Weiss’ departure because she knew ghosts left. Even if Weiss was there then, she wouldn’t always be. All souls left, and without her friend with her in some way, she would feel lost.</p>
<p>Coco’s thoughts were interrupted when Yatsuhashi stepped in front of her. She looked up at him through her sunglasses and raised an eyebrow.</p>
<p>“You looked deep in thought. Everything okay?” the man asked and took a seat next to her. </p>
<p>“Yeah. Just realizing I’m pretty shit at coping with loss,” Coco huffed with a hint of humor to her tone. </p>
<p>“The accident again?”</p>
<p>With a long sigh, Coco nodded. “I didn’t expect to feel so sentimental over feeling so crappy about it. Velvs thinks making peace with Yang would be good for me. Even talked to Yang and said she wants to. But…”</p>
<p>“But you want to feel terrible still.”</p>
<p>Coco shrugged and drank from her coffee again, finishing it. “Basically,” she laughed. “Sounds absurd when said out loud, though.”</p>
<p>Yatsuhashi placed a hand on Coco’s shoulder. “I think you should do it. And that’s not just coming from me as your friend of all these years. It’s also coming from me as the coworker that was elected to be the one to handle all of your angsty brooding.”</p>
<p>Coco snorted. “Fair enough.”</p>
<p>“Besides, Velvet will be with you through it,” the man reassured her and stood up. “Now let’s get back over there before the others get even more strange ideas.” </p>
<p>Coco smirked and shook her head. “Yeah, yeah.”</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>To say she was nervous was an exaggeration. Weiss didn’t get nervous. It wasn’t acceptable for someone with her upbringing to show her nerves so readily, or so her father drilled into her during his lessons of etiquette and business. Schnees didn’t get nervous. They didn’t get scared. They were hardened like the coldest winter’s ice, steeled expressions and decisive actions. But, despite all of that, yes, Weiss was nervous. All of the ingrained habits and lessons didn’t seem to matter once she died. There were no expectations for her to fulfill, or family to disappoint. She didn’t have to do anything. So, instead of denying herself emotions, she sat anxiously in a booth next to Yang and tried to cling to her side as they waited. </p>
<p>It had only been a couple of days, but Weiss could tell Yang was adapting fast to the situation. She no longer flinched or pulled away from the touches which seemed to range in sensation depending on Weiss’ moods. The two had taken advice from Blake, and Yang learned to let Weiss write with her left hand. Weiss was happy she could finally talk with Yang, and even happier when she convinced Yang to bring the mirror from her room into the living room to make things easier for everyone. Two days and Yang was accommodating to her. Two days and Yang had taken on the role of caring for and protecting her again. Old habits surfacing from their time alive together which, in several ways, left Weiss feeling like her un-life was going how her life should have. </p>
<p>There was, of course, the elephant in the room. The unresolved incident of the kiss. The thing which prompted the original discussion of Weiss being there with Yang in the first place. Weiss could easily tell that Yang still held feelings, conflicted as they may be, for Blake. All of her tells were not subtle. Weiss would have to be blind to not notice them after all the time she spent with the woman in the past. And, of course, Blake held feelings for Yang as well. The weeks Weiss spent alongside Blake definitely gave her insight on the woman and how she expressed herself. And this left Weiss herself. Yang used to be her fiancee, and she still held similar feelings for the blond, but Blake had become someone close to her now. </p>
<p>Weiss glanced to Blake and smiled, their eyes meeting momentarily before Blake looked up to Yang. She watched her meet Yang’s eyes, then look away, staring out the window. This was going to be something the three of them needed to discuss. Weiss didn’t know how it would go, but it would definitely need to be something they talked about to at least try and make things less awkward. Blake had pulled away from her ever since the day at the cemetery, and she couldn’t blame her. Weiss, herself, had pulled away from Blake, too. But that feeling of loss still set in and she missed the faunus woman’s closeness. </p>
<p>The silence of the table was soon interrupted when a familiar woman approached outside. Blake turned her ears to the door to hear Velvet enter, and Weiss could see the woman’s ears sticking above the back of the booth as she approached. The woman quickly slid into the booth next to Blake after glancing to Yang and seeing how she sat. The look in her direction made Weiss figure that she assumed she was there and thought it more polite to sit opposite. </p>
<p>“Hey, Velvet,” Blake greeted her and smiled, scooting back to the corner of the booth and turning to her side to lean back against the wall and better face the new person to the booth. </p>
<p>“Sorry I’m late! I didn’t know where to park and had to circle around a few times before a spot opened up. But, it’s good to see you again,” she smiled looking between Blake and Yang, then letting her smiling expression drift over the empty-looking space Weiss sat. </p>
<p>“Hey,” Yang spoke softly. It seemed clear she felt embarrassed about their last meeting. </p>
<p>“So…” Velvet said and then went quiet. Blake flipped the small mug on the table over and poured some tea for the other faunus. </p>
<p>Looking between them all, Weiss sighed and shook her head. It was up to her to break the silence here, even if half the table couldn’t hear her. She reached a hand up and patted Yang on the back, hoping the signal was enough to prompt her to do what the two of them discussed before. </p>
<p>“Oh, right,” Yang mumbled and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Look, Velvet, about… When we saw each other at the cemetery, I’m sorry for-”</p>
<p>Velvet cut her off. “It’s okay! It was awkward for everyone there, but it wasn’t just you. Coco and I should have gone another day and let you have time with her on the actual anniversary of, well… Of things,” she weakly smiled and her eyes flicked to Weiss’ direction. </p>
<p>“No, I was talking with Weiss and-”</p>
<p>“You can see her? Hear her?” Velvet asked, curiosity lacing her features. </p>
<p>“No, no. Um, ever since I got my brace off, Blake showed us how to do this thing with my hand and she can write,” Yang explained and Velvet nodded in understanding. “Anyway, I- I know it wasn’t anyone’s fault but that drunk driver. I’ve known for a long time, but he wasn’t around to be mad at, and Coco was. I-” Yang sighed. “I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>Blake reached a hand across the table to pat Yang’s arm but turned her head to Velvet.</p>
<p>Velvet only shook her head. “I understand.” A silence fell over the table again and the three living women stared down to their mugs of tea. After taking a sip, Velvet spoke again. “I talked with Coco earlier, though. About Weiss.” She looked up to Weiss’ direction again and Weiss regarded her hesitantly. </p>
<p>This was what her nerves were so wound up over. Blake had reassured Weiss that, even if she decided to stay, resolving what was most likely preventing her from crossing over would wind up making her feel better. Blake had helped get Yang on board, but the next part relied on Velvet speaking with Coco. </p>
<p>“She’s skeptical,” Velvet sighed. </p>
<p>“But…?” Yang asked. </p>
<p>“But, she says she’s willing to meet if for no other reason than to listen to your apology,” Velvet said, looking at Yang. The blond nodded and Weiss could feel some of the previous tension she held ease away. Weiss didn’t understand it exactly, but being partially phased through someone as she currently was with Yang gave her some decent insights into their feelings, physical and emotional. Blake had explained it also works in reverse as well, but Weiss could only take her word for it.</p>
<p>“That’s good enough for me,” Yang weakly smiled and looked to the empty space next to her where Weiss was. </p>
<p>“I agree,” Weiss said and glanced at Blake. </p>
<p>“Weiss agrees,” Blake told the others. </p>
<p>“I suppose it’s time to order, then?” Yang asked and Weiss felt Yang’s stomach grumble. She had told her to eat something for breakfast but, like old times, she chose to shrug the short woman off. </p>
<p>“Give Velvet a chance to look over the menu, jeez. She hasn’t memorized it like we have,” Blake laughed and turned to the rabbit faunus. “We live just right over there,” Blake explained and pointed to the building across the street. “We come here a lot.”</p>
<p>Velvet nodded and smiled, glancing between Yang and Blake, and picked up a menu to figure out what to get. Blake and Yang fell into a debate over what was better on the menu when Velvet asked for suggestions and Weiss could only smile with how relaxed the feeling at the table had grown. </p>
<p>Weiss only hoped things would work out.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everyone!<br/>I'm approaching my uploads a bit more casually until I'm feeling better. I've been busy trying to get everything back on track in my life and make some new daily habits to better take care of myself. I'm rather open about stuff in my life, so I don't mind explaining a bit of it here. I'm on a new dosage of one of my medications after talking with my psych and it's starting to help some, but there's still some adjustments to be made. </p>
<p>I want to thank everyone for sticking by me through this and being so understanding. It means a lot to me that people are still interested in my writing. I've been writing for the RWBY fandom for only about a year now, and when I look at how much I've done in such a short time, I feel fairly proud of what I've accomplished despite everything going on. </p>
<p>Again, thank you for reading this. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you continue to enjoy this story. ♥</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“We need to talk,” Weiss announced, grabbing Blake’s attention. </p><p>She looked up from her book and watched the ghost pacing around her room. “About…?”</p><p>“You, and Yang, and me,” Weiss said. “Because this weirdness has gone on long enough. In fact, get Yang in here.” Weiss turned to storm out of the room, passing right through the wall and in the direction of Yang’s room. Blake sighed and marked her place in the novel and left to follow after the hellbent ghost. </p><p>“What are you-” the shout came from Yang’s room and Blake hurried over to see Weiss trying to grab Yang with no luck. “What is she doing?” the blond asked as soon as Blake came into view. </p><p>“She wants us to talk. All three of us. Something about us all acting weird, but that’s all she said before coming over here.”</p><p>“Blake, tell her to follow us to the living room,” Weiss huffed and turned to storm out. </p><p>“She wants us to go into the living room with her,” Blake explained with a simple shrug of one shoulder before turning to follow the ghost. Blinking in confusion, Yang followed behind. </p><p>“Both of you sit down,” Weiss demanded. Blake did as asked and motioned for Yang to do so as well. </p><p>“Care to explain what this weirdness you mentioned is about?” Blake asked as she glanced between Yang and Weiss. </p><p>“You two kissed.” </p><p>Blake remained quiet, unsure if this was all there was to it, but in her time with Weiss, she knew this was only her getting started and the real topic would be coming next. </p><p>“Ever since then, the two of you have been weird around each other. Weird around me. Well, more so you than Yang since she can’t see me. But this is going to have to change,” Weiss concluded and stared at Blake expectantly. “Tell her,” she motioned to Yang. </p><p>Blake pinched the bridge of her nose and squeezed her eyes shut. She knew this was a habit she picked up from the ghost, but it felt very appropriate for the time being. “Fine, but the rest of this you’re talking through Yang so she can tell what you’re saying,” Blake sighed and wasn’t surprised in the least to see Yang staring at her confused. “Weiss thinks we’re being weird around each other and her since we kissed.” Blake leaned over to grab the notebook on the table and the nearby pen, handing them to Yang. </p><p>“Um, alright,” Yang stammered and opened the notebook to a blank page and picked up the pen. Blake saw Weiss slide beside her and shift her arm through Yang’s to begin writing. “But, that kiss, we talked about it already. It was a mistake.”</p><p>‘No it wasn’t,’ Weiss wrote. ‘You both have feelings for each other and you both don’t want to talk about it because of me.’</p><p>Blake furrowed her brow and Yang frowned as well. </p><p>‘I’m dead, not blind. You both clearly are into each other.’</p><p>“But, we-” Yang started but stopped when she felt a shock from Weiss’ frustration run through her. </p><p>‘Our engagement ended when I died. Or did you expect to try and marry a ghost? I’d love to see you try and explain that one to the county office.’</p><p>Blake snorted in amusement but stopped when Weiss turned her head her direction. </p><p>“And you,” Weiss huffed, not bothering to write it down. Blake raised an eyebrow. “You’ve pulled away from me, pulled away from Yang, and do you have any idea how unfair that is to both of us? You clearly know how we feel, Blake Belladonna.”</p><p>“Full name now, Weiss Schnee?” Blake sat up and leaned closer to Weiss. Yang looked absolutely confused. “You pulled away from me, too. And I was respecting your relationship to be fair to Yang.”</p><p>Yang felt Weiss remove herself from her arm but kept her eyes on Blake. </p><p>“Don’t use the ‘respecting you both’ argument here. In the past few days, you might have thought nobody heard you, but you’re not exactly quiet when you cry. We are talking about this now before we all hurt each other more,” Weiss scowled, stepping back out of Blake’s face and settling on the couch again to write with Yang’s arm. </p><p>“Fine,” Blake mumbled and folded her arms over her chest. </p><p>“What happened?” Yang asked and shivered when she felt Weiss slide into her arm again. </p><p>‘Blake’s in love with you like I know you are with her.’ </p><p>Yang’s eyes widened reading the message, glancing between it and Blake, but the cat faunus simply stared at a spot on the floor still frowning after seeing the message. Blake knew there wasn’t a point in arguing this. She just hoped Weiss had the courtesy of not telling Yang about the times she cried at night. The lack of shock about being called out by Weiss only meant that the kiss was something the two of them discussed before. Most likely one of the days she was at work. It didn’t make Blake feel particularly good, but it was some small amount of relief that it meant the present conversation would end sooner. </p><p>“But you and I…” Yang whispered, not finishing her sentence. </p><p>‘And she and I had our moments before the cemetery. You’re both being dolts about this. I can’t believe the dead girl is the voice of reason here. We all know we all love each other. I’m not bothered by you two being together. I want to be with both of you. I know you want to be with her. Just ask Blake if she wants to be with us, too.’ </p><p>Blake read the message as it was being written from the corner of her eye and it felt like she was being put on the spot. She didn’t deal well with being put on the spot, but she couldn’t pretend to not be present in the moment. She turned her head to look at Yang who only watched her with extreme hesitation. Or, from what Blake could tell, it seemed to be extreme hesitation. She did her best to ignore the pointed stare of Weiss knowing that if she looked at the ghost, she would scowl back at her for dragging her into this conversation. She would have been content to never address this. Or… Content wouldn’t have been the word, but she would have managed without addressing any of it. For a while at least. </p><p>“So…” Yang nervously began. “Is it true?” Blake couldn’t hear anything but the hopeful tone to the words and it twisted her up inside. </p><p>“Yes,” the faunus finally sighed. No use denying things now since Weiss would be so stubborn about things if she did. Never did she imagine the girl could be worse than any haunting she had experienced before. </p><p>“And, is that something you would want to try?” Yang asked. Weiss let go of Yang’s hand and moved to sit next to her.</p><p>The feelings in her stomach were difficult to explain their cause. Blake knew it wasn’t nerves, and it wasn’t from stress. It wasn’t exactly from excitement, either. If she were to make an educated guess, it would have to be fear. Between Weiss calling her out and also how she didn’t want to do anything to hurt Yang, Blake thought the feeling would definitely be based on fear. She let out a long sigh and her shoulder slumped. “I would. I really would,” Blake admitted and stared at her hands in her lap as she felt both Yang and Weiss try and hug her.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>Ruby knew calling Yang again was a long shot. The last three times she did, she didn’t get an answer. But, that was last week, and this was a new week, and this was definitely worth trying again. At least, that’s what Penny told her. If it was something Ruby wanted, Penny told her to keep trying. Having her sister at her wedding was important and she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Or… that’s what she kept telling herself as the phone rang and rang.</p><p>“Ruby?”</p><p>“Hi, Yang,” Ruby chirped happily into the phone. A feeling of relief fell over her and she flopped back onto her bed. She didn’t even realize she was pacing around the whole bedroom until she caught sight of herself in the mirror. This was what Penny was telling her about, she remembered. All of her old nervous habits popping up when it came to dealing with Yang. </p><p>“What’s up?”</p><p>Something in Yang’s voice was different. Ruby couldn’t quite place it, but it wasn’t something she had heard in a long time. “Oh, you know. Keeping busy. Wedding prep and all,” she forced a laugh. “How are you, though?” Maybe if she could keep Yang talking she would be able to figure it out. </p><p>“I’m doing okay. Got the brace off, finally,” Yang laughed. “So that’s been nice. Can finally stretch out again.”</p><p>Did Yang laugh? That was strange. Wait… “What about a brace?”</p><p>“Oh…” Yang went quiet. </p><p>“Are you okay?” Ruby sat up and frowned. “What happened?”</p><p>“Yeah, I’m fine. It wasn’t anything major. Don’t worry about it.” </p><p>Yang tried to play it off, but Ruby knew her sister. Ruby could tell her sister was downplaying whatever it was and she wasn’t sure if she should press it or not. It had been years since the two of them were children, but memories of Yang trying to walk off major scrapes and other injuries to seem tougher to her all came flooding back. </p><p>“She fell in the shower!” A distant voice on the phone that Ruby didn’t recognize called out. “Blake!” Yang shouted in irritation. </p><p>“Wait, you fell in the shower?” Ruby asked and scooted up to lean back against her headboard. A long sigh from the other end of the phone let Ruby know this was the truth. She still had all of her old tells.</p><p>“Yeah. I slipped and dislocated my shoulder and got a hairline fracture in my collarbone,” Yang admitted. “But I’m fine now. Scans all said I’m healed up and good as new.”</p><p>That news at least was a relief, though something was still off about Yang. She sounded… Happier? “Anyway, I’m calling because mom said she never got your RSVP for the wedding. And yeah, I told her about the mail at your place being weird, but she still likes sending stuff. You know how mom gets.” </p><p>“I’ll double-check in a bit, but I didn’t see the invite.”</p><p>“What should I tell her. Are you coming?” This was the part Ruby was nervous about. She wanted Yang to be there as much as she wanted to marry Penny. A long beat of silence followed the question and Ruby spoke again to fill that void. “I also wanted to know if you’d maybe be my bridesmaid.” She didn’t want to get her hopes up too high, but she did really want to see Yang again. Ever since that accident, she hadn’t seen her sister. Neither had their parents. </p><p>Sounds of a whispered conversation on the other end of the phone weren’t reassuring, but it sounded like this Blake person was winning whatever discussion was happening. Ruby heard Yang sigh. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”</p><p>“Great!” Ruby grinned. “Oh, are you bringing anyone? And did they want to be a bridesmaid, too?” Perhaps having Yang bring someone would be a good way to better ensure seeing her again. </p><p>Another muffled discussion. “Blake said she’s looking forward to it,” Yang said and Ruby could practically hear the smirk in her voice. “Also, what should we wear? I’ve never done the whole bridesmaid thing before.”</p><p>Ruby would have to make sure and thank Penny when she got home later. She had faith Yang would come around and if it wasn’t for her, Ruby knew she would have put off the phone call. “Oh, that’s easy. Something nice, but colorful. It’s not super fancy. Like, I’ve got a red dress, Penny is going to be wearing green, mom is in pink. Just let me know what colors later and I’ll let mom know.”</p><p>“Alright. We’ll find something, and we’ll be there,” Yang laughed.</p><p>“Promise?” Ruby asked.</p><p>“I promise,” Yang replied. “Bye, sis. Love you.”</p><p>“Love you, too,” Ruby replied and hung up. She tossed the phone aside onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Something was definitely up with Yang. She sounded happier and Ruby could only think it had to do with whoever this Blake person with her was.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everyone!<br/>I've been really excited to get this chapter out because <i>the talk</i> we've been waiting for happened. Finally. Does it count as a slow burn if it took 19 chapters for this to happen? I don't know how these things work. I'm a it bad at tagging some of this stuff since I don't exactly know where the lines are. </p><p>Anyway, I'm still taking my time with things. Doing a deal better than before and I'm starting to get back into things a bit. We'll see where this goes! </p><p>Regardless of what happens, I do plan on writing more. It may be new stories or AUs, it may be sequels, but I'm not going to stop since I really enjoy sharing stories with people. </p><p>I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and are enjoying this story. And thanks for reading~ ♥</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mornings weren’t Blake’s favorite time. She would argue they were typically the worst time of the day simply for the fact her body would scream to be back in bed, sleeping through the AM hours. The only thing to make the mornings tolerable was caffeine. Strong tea typically was enough to energize her and get her going, even after nights of the worst sleep. But that morning… It was different. She had woken up stiff from the night before, having fallen asleep in the living room with Yang and Weiss. </p>
<p>Talking late into the night after having been forcefully pushed to admit her repressed feelings wasn’t her exact idea of a good time, but she did have to admit that the end results had gone better than expected. Blake woke up the previous day with zero girlfriends and had ended the day with two, even if one of them happened to be a spirit. The three of them would eventually have to find a better way for Yang and Weiss to communicate since the writing method wasn’t always convenient. But that was a thought for another hour when she felt more alive. </p>
<p>Blake drank from her travel mug as she walked down the bright street. Whatever warmth the faunus had from her clothes and beverage wasn’t much of a match for the foggy morning the bay regularly offered that time of year. Morning shift at work meant heading in early and aiding in preparations for the rest of the day. Of course, the shift was meant for someone else, but to ensure the time off for the upcoming meeting with Coco, Blake had needed to switch shifts with someone. This was her penance to pay to ensure the meeting happened sooner rather than later for everyone else’s sake, but she didn’t mind. The early shifts usually got a free breakfast once the kitchen work was prepared, and Angelo’s shakshouka was worth waking up early for. </p>
<p>Nearing the restaurant, a commotion caught Blake’s attention. She heard a familiar voice. Two familiar voices. The words they said eluded her, but it sounded like gruff, growling words from a man, and insistent, hissed protests from a woman. Blake slowed her pace and questioned if she should investigate. The two figures of Mercury and Emerald from across the street and in an alley, only their outlines were really noticeable from the distance through the fog. Their low voices were difficult to pick up, even for her feline ears. </p>
<p>“Not time-”</p>
<p>Blake frowned. She really couldn’t tell what was going on with them and it seemed like whatever it was caused Emerald a deal of distress. The tone of her voice alone spoke volumes of the situation. She looked around and waited for Angelo and Rosa to arrive. It seemed she got to the restaurant a bit too early.</p>
<p>“-damn cat-”</p>
<p>That comment made Blake bristle in annoyance since she could clearly see the taller of the two figures motioning her way. Did they see her? Or was he pointing simply at the restaurant? She wasn’t sure, but she did manage to see the shorter figure smack his hand down and get closer to hiss something in his face. Blake tried to think of what Yang or Weiss would advise her to do, but it didn’t seem to be much help. Yang might tell her to confront them and chase them off, or she might not. It depended on how upset she got being insulted like that. And Weiss would potentially tell her to ignore them and keep going. </p>
<p>A lot of murmured arguing followed the actions in the alley and Blake thought she should follow what her idea of Weiss would advise and ignore the pair in the alley and took a seat on the bench in front. Pulling out her phone, the faunus woman opened one of the books she was reading to try and distract herself while she waited. Despite this, Blake still kept an ear trained on the alley and only relaxed her posture when she heard the pair walk further away, out of earshot. She heard, instead, someone approaching and looked up to see one of the opening cooks give her a small wave and plop on the bench next to her. </p>
<p>“Hey, Blake. They running late today?” the guy asked. Blake couldn’t remember his name right off since the two of them never really interacted. She wanted to say it was something like… Trevor? Tray? It was something with a “tr” and she wished she had bothered to remember it for moments like this. </p>
<p>“Seems so,” Blake answered, but as she did so, one of her ears flicked to the side and picked up the sound of an aging small car rumbling down the road. “Actually, I think that’s them,” she said and nodded her head in the direction of the car. The guy whose name she couldn’t remember leaned forward to look and laughed. </p>
<p>“Seems like it. Good ear,” he commented and smiled. </p>
<p>Blake huffed in amusement with a roll of her eyes. “Oh whatever,” she teased back.</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>To her credit, Yang had spent as much free time as she could poring over the notebooks Blake had lent her about past ghost cases she helped with. Despite the insistence that it was okay by Blake, she refused to enter her room and look for more on the shelf she was shown. She always waited for Blake to be there before asking for more after the faunus woman warned her that some of the collections were… difficult to go through. And not all of them were focused on ghosts either, but that was something for another day.</p>
<p>Yang sat on her bed with three notebooks open in front of her trying to find the chronological order of the passages to figure out the contradicting statements written down. One passage explained that spirits were always cold and electric while one written months before stated that the sensations could fluctuate. A third and separate one had mentioned in a single margin that everything was related to emotional states, but it didn’t have a date, and Blake was at work and this didn’t seem to simply be something worthy of calling to ask. </p>
<p>When asked, Weiss wasn’t positive about everything, either, which was why she turned to Yang in the first place to help answer some of these questions. She and Blake had only discussed some small parts of it and Weiss having had her entire form take on a warm sensation was something new entirely. And Yang found that notebook as well, giving her four different accounts of things. From everything presented, she had to agree that it seemed it could fluctuate. But one stated it wasn’t tied to emotional states but energy levels. There was no denying that emotions and energy were two major factors in determining a spirit’s form on the current plane, but it was still frustrating not to have anything exact to go by. Doubly so when Weiss had asked more specifically about energy, temperatures, and the effects regarding humans. </p>
<p>She didn’t know why some of this was so important to Weiss that it couldn’t wait until later in the day when Blake would be back from work, but she always had difficulty saying no to that woman. Especially on the rare occasions, she used ‘please’ in that certain tone of voice. While Yang couldn’t exactly hear it, she could tell from the way Weiss wrote it that it was the same. </p>
<p>Yang flopped back on her bed and let her arms lay at her sides. “Nothing here is saying it’s exactly dangerous, but there’s also nothing saying it’s safe, either,” Yang sighed. A cool tingling feeling on her shoulder alerted her to Weiss’ touch. It was something similar to what the woman did when she was alive. The cool hand on her shoulder a soothing feeling. This time it was simply… different. </p>
<p>“Blake didn’t tell you to be careful about touching people, did she?” Yang asked and sat up, grabbing the nearby blank notebook and pen. She felt the familiar sensation in her arm and hand while Weiss wrote her answer. </p>
<p>‘Only that it could be considered rude, which I agree with, but she didn’t mention dangers in it.’</p>
<p>“If she didn’t mention it, I feel like you shouldn’t worry too much about it then,” Yang reassured Weiss. She felt a tingle run up her spine and could only guess that it was the ghost trailing a finger over her, and she sucked in a sharp breath. </p>
<p>‘Too much?’</p>
<p>Yang glanced down to the paper and shook her head. “No, was just a surprise,” she laughed. She was met with another, slower tingling sensation going down her back as it felt like four spots pressed in and passed through her muscles on the pass down. She shuddered and the hairs on her arms stood up straight from the near electric sensation. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen next, especially since she couldn’t exactly see the woman with her. Having left the large mirror in the front room, Yang was left with her imagination to try and figure out where Weiss was moving. It held a sense of excitement to the mystery of it, and everything Weiss was curious about made a lot more sense.</p>
<p>She could tell Weiss removed her hand from her arm as control over it returned and she flexed her left hand. She could tell Weiss had pulled away from her, but without any way to tell where she had gone, she was left in a bit of wonder. A moment passed, and another. Then she felt Weiss touch her hand. Weiss took control of her hand again and moved it to the notebooks spread out on the bed and started to close one of them and Yang got the idea. “I should pick these up then,” she laughed and felt her hand release. It took her only a moment to close the notes and set them aside. When she did, she felt the spark from Weiss return to her senses, this time in a cooling that spread over her scalp and down her neck.</p>
<p>“A-ah,” Yang breathed and remembered the times when Weiss was alive with her, laying back on the bed. Slender fingers threading through her hair was always a soothing sensation. It wasn’t the same as back then, but all of the ghost’s actions were reminiscent of those from when she was alive. It was… different, but welcome. </p>
<p>A soft chill settled on the bed next to her and Yang could tell that Weiss had laid next to her. She rolled her head to face the ghost, or at least in her direction and felt almost burning tingles over her lips. The electric feelings intensified to an almost explosive heat. It felt like lightning for a brief moment and Yang gasped. The cold next to her shifted to an odd warmth. Everything was strange. “Weiss,” Yang whispered and closed her eyes as she felt what could only be Weiss’ lips place soft kisses down her neck, each one forcing a twitch from her muscles. </p>
<p>The layers of clothing Yang wore didn’t make a difference as Weiss could reach through them. It was all new to Yang, and if she had to describe it, the only word that came to her mind right then was amazing. Though, that could have been from having twin tingling sensations dragging down her chest, over her stomach, and down her thigh. The blond’s breath hitched when she felt them pause at her inner thigh, and slowly trace back up to her stomach, making lazy circles over her skin and then head down her other thigh. Her feet squirmed and her legs stretched out while her body tried to press up into the strange sensation. </p>
<p>If Yang’s history told her anything of Weiss, it was that she was enjoying this far too much. All of the teasing and toying with her was definitely something she enjoyed while being alive, and Yang would have admitted that she enjoyed it, too, just as much as she enjoyed teasing the white-haired woman back. While Weiss would be loath to admit it, Yang also knew she loved the teasing attention just from the simple fact she did nothing to try and stop the blond. Every opportunity Yang gave Weiss to stop her she refused. It was a game between them, seeing how far they could push each other at times before one of them broke and gave in. Because of that history, Yang found the present situation entirely unfair and one-sided, but on some level, she didn’t mind because never in a million years did she expect to be sharing another intimate moment with Weiss. </p>
<p>“You tease,” Yang laughed and hummed through a whine that built up in her throat. Weiss’ only reaction seemed to be removing the hand from Yang’s stomach to walk her fingers over her chest and listen for the small gasps as the sensations did nothing to calm her down. Yang knew her own cheeks were flushed. They had to be with how warm she felt. All of this was not helped when the sensation of Weiss settled closer to her, pressing through part of her side, her shoulder, her right leg, and arm. It wasn’t as electrified as the tips of the ghost’s fingers, but a lower and gentler sensation. A comforting one that felt loving. </p>
<p>“This is all entirely unfair, you know,” Yang frowned, though the way the corners of her mouth twitched upwards was enough to give away her true feelings on the matter. Rather than feel the ghost’s fingers walking over her skin, teasing her to the core of her being in ways she failed to give words to, she felt a similar sensation of her arm being taken over. Her right arm. “What are you playing at, hmm?” </p>
<p>The answer to the question didn’t take long to find out as Yang felt her hand slide over her stomach and tease at the waistband of her sleep shorts. Writing with a controlled arm was strange on its own, but being touched by her own hand without having any control of it was even stranger. “Oh,” Yang gasped as Weiss slid Yang’s hand further down, curiously and teasingly exploring. The way her own fingers felt over her skin, where her thigh connected, with such a light touch was the way Weiss would touch her. That delicate sensation caused Yang to roll her head to the other side and stretch out further, flexing the muscles in her legs, shuddering when her fingers ran more deliberately, a clear focus in mind. </p>
<p>Weiss remembered the way Yang loved to be touched. She remembered the motions and how much pressure to use. Yang whimpered beneath the foreign feeling of her own hand outside her control. Warmth spread through her as she felt what could only be Weiss’ other hand trailing patterns over her lower abdomen, and she involuntarily rocked from side to side. The odd feeling of the tingling hand passing through her combined with how Weiss slipped her own fingers inside her forced shuddering cries out of her. The intensity was getting to be too much and she rolled to her left side and curled up, thighs clamping down hard on her hand to try and hold it still. </p>
<p>“S-stop,” Yang gasped out and she felt the ghost retreat. Moments passed and she caught her breath but kept laying on her side, not removing her hand just yet, worried about the sensation of doing so. “That was… intense…” Yang gasped out. “Good intense,” she breathed after to reassure Weiss who she was positive had gotten worried. “I just need a moment.”</p>
<p>Silence fell over the room save for the heavy breathing of Yang. When she sighed again, she removed her hand from between her thighs and wiped it on her shorts before uncurling from the fetal position. Cool tingles moved over her back reminding her of the way Weiss would play with her, reassuring her, comforting her, and Yang relaxed. “Love you,” she breathed and rolled back over onto her back. She felt Weiss nestle back to her side, the electric warmth now a soothing chill, warmer than before but not with the intense heat of moments ago.</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>“I’m home,” Blake called out while locking the door behind her. The house was oddly quiet for being mid-afternoon, and it wasn’t until the faunus woman set her bag and keys on the table that she saw a note from Yang, hastily scribbled, indicating she really was in a rush. </p>
<p>‘Be back later, went to the store’</p>
<p>Blake shrugged and laughed. “You here Weiss?” she called out as she walked into the kitchen to make some tea. </p>
<p>After the odd walk home she had, she was ready to simply relax. The dog that followed her for a couple of blocks on her way back was definitely what made it odd and definitely put her ill at ease. Blake wasn’t afraid of dogs. Quite the opposite, actually. That came as a shock to many people simply because she was a feline faunus, but really she loved dogs. But the way that dog regarded her was hesitant and skittish, but it didn’t seem dangerous. It came down to how it stayed about ten feet behind her on the sidewalk, no closer, but doing its best to stay no further, too. </p>
<p>When the two of them passed an alley between a bookstore and a Mediterranean restaurant, a homeless man motioned for the dog and it scampered over to him. The entire thing left Blake with a curious feeling that she wasn’t sure how to explain, but since there was nothing else to the event, she decided to ignore it. Write it off as simply a strange occurrence that came with living in a city. </p>
<p>“Hey,” Weiss whispered in Blake’s ear as she stood on her tiptoes and wrapped a ghostly arm around her midsection, causing the woman to jump. </p>
<p>“Jeez, scare me half to death…” she mumbled after jumping. </p>
<p>“Sorry,” Weiss smiled. “Though, if you did die…” She motioned to herself. “You wouldn’t be lonely.”</p>
<p>Blake rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah,” she sighed and laughed. </p>
<p>“So, I learned I can do something new today,” Weiss smirked.</p>
<p>Blake pulled the kettle from the stove and poured the water into a mug before reaching to dig through the cabinet for some tea. </p>
<p>“Aren’t you going to ask what it is?” Weiss asked after a moment, not getting the reaction from Blake she anticipated. </p>
<p>“Tea first. Questions after,” Blake mumbled while taking a bag of the vanilla chamomile tea out and adding it to the mug. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she messed the order of doing things up. It was always a tea bag in the mug first, hot water after. It was how she always did it, and she frowned inwardly at being so distracted and mixing it up. At least it wasn’t anything major, she sighed. Turning around, mug in hand, Blake walked over to the couch and set the mug on the coffee table. “Okay, I’ll bite. What did you learn to do today?” she asked, looking to Weiss as she walked over to sit on the couch next to her. </p>
<p>“Well, with that attitude, maybe I don’t want to tell you now,” Weiss huffed and turned her head away. Blake only shrugged and relaxed back onto the couch. </p>
<p>“Alright, have it your way,” Blake shrugged. </p>
<p>Weiss continued to keep her body turned away from the faunus woman and Blake could tell she was waiting to be asked again or apologized to, but she was determined to not give her that satisfaction. Blake may not have been the best at jokes and teasing like Yang was, but Blake could compete in her own way with them. She leaned over to grab her mug of tea and sipped from it, looking at the reflection of Weiss in the television screen and catching her peeking at her. Blake simply grinned at her and Weiss looked away again, rolling her eyes. </p>
<p>The moment stretched on for a moment before Weiss sighed and turned back around. “Fine. You win.” Blake grinned at her and took a drink of her tea, one ear noting the sound of keys in the door signaling Yang’s return. “Earlier, I learned I can make Yang-”</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>Yang opened the door to the apartment just in time to see Blake spray tea across the floor and coffee table while her cheeks turned bright red. The width of her eyes as she stared at the empty spot on the couch next to her made her curious. When Blake looked up to lock eyes with Yang, Blake went even redder and immediately looked away. </p>
<p>“What, uh- what’s going on?” she asked. In the mirror, she thought she saw what looked like Weiss doubled over in laughter.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everyone!</p>
<p>I guess I don't have a lot to say about this chapter aside from the last bit with the perspective change was something I had in mind for a while before writing it. Something to somewhat illustrate some of the differences of perspective between Yang and Blake and how they can see Weiss. (Also, the first little bit of an intimate scene. They're all still figuring out Weiss' capabilities.)</p>
<p>I've been busy at work on something, but I don't want to say too much and jinx myself since it potentially is a rather ambitious project. Also, I wanted to say that I haven't given up on any of my writing projects. Some may just get moved to a back burner while I juggle things around. But I've been keeping busy, I've been feeling mostly alright, and I'm going to keep at things. Thank you to those who have expressed support through comments. It means a lot. </p>
<p>Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter~ ♥</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 21</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Weiss distracted herself with the efforts of her past few days while she, Blake, and Yang waited for Coco and Velvet to arrive. Setting up the meeting had been left to Blake and Velvet to organize and it seemed the two of them settled on a local chain diner downtown. Weiss only remembered being there a couple of times back in college with a larger group, but that could have been exactly why Velvet suggested it. She remembered going there for an inexpensive and late dinner with Yang, Velvet, Coco, and a few others, all piling into one of the round booths and it brought a smile to her while she poked at the glass of water in front of her. </p>
<p>Those times were also rather painful to remember for Weiss. While things may have seemed to be on the up and up in her life, the struggles of being away from her old home were monumental and it was only through her friendships with the others that she was able to get through them. She would never admit it to anyone except behind closed doors, but if it hadn’t been for everyone, she knew she wouldn’t have been able to make the decision to sever the strings connecting her to her father. Being back in the diner with Yang, and now Blake, with Coco and Velvet on the way, settled a strangely serene feeling in her, even with the anxieties about the meeting. </p>
<p>She concentrated and pushed a finger through the side of Blake’s glass of water. A similar resistance to touching the glass window way back greeted her and she pushed through it. Weiss furrowed her brow in deeper concentration. She was determined to figure out what it was she had done to Yang before. It clearly had to do with her hand inside her since everything happened so suddenly after that. Humans were mostly water, so perhaps by doing this she could find a way to experiment a bit. </p>
<p>With Blake on her left and Yang on her right, the three of them occupied the left side of the booth. Blake had suggested the seating situation to let Velvet take the inner seat near Blake since, naturally, the other faunus took the inner seat out of habit. Coco would then take the outer seat to be across from Yang and allow the two to better talk while their partners were nearby for support. Weiss being on Yang’s left would also give her better access to write with the blond’s arm and help explain and communicate. Blake and Weiss had discussed the arrangement the night before while Yang slept. Also, allowing the two women in question to not feel trapped in the booth seemed like a good idea. </p>
<p>Blake reached for her water to take a drink when she saw Weiss’ finger stuck through the side. “Excuse you,” she chuckled and picked the glass up when Weiss removed her hand. This brought Weiss’ attention to the present and out of her thoughts. </p>
<p>“Sorry,” she sheepishly apologized and folded her hands back in her lap. </p>
<p>After a drink, Blake laughed. “It’s fine.”</p>
<p>“What’s going on?” Yang asked and looked at the space between her and Blake where Weiss sat. </p>
<p>“Seems our girlfriend here was poking her fingers in my water,” Blake answered with an amused snort. </p>
<p>“Was that the only place she was poking her fingers?” Yang smirked and waggled her eyebrows. Weiss bristled a bit and reached to smack the blond’s shoulder only to have her hand pass right through it. The cold sensation sent a shiver through her. “Ah, sorry. Sorry.”</p>
<p>“That’s what I thought,” Weiss huffed. </p>
<p>Blake laughed and set her glass back down. Weiss caught the flicking of one of her ears and saw it turn to the front of the diner. </p>
<p>“Are they here?” Weiss stood up from the seat and stepped halfway into the table, much to Blake’s amusement. </p>
<p>“They’re here,” Blake confirmed. </p>
<p>Next to them both, Yang took a slow, deep breath and sighed. </p>
<p>Weiss settled back down when she saw Velvet’s ears poking above the partition by the entrance and she heard a familiar voice in the form of Coco talking to the hostess. Velvet poked her head around the partition and tapped Coco’s side and pointed their direction. Blake waved them over and Weiss saw Yang force a smile which only made her look more nervous than anything. </p>
<p>Coco was a difficult woman to read with her sunglasses on and she was only made more difficult with the lack of expression on her mouth while she sat down. Awkward greetings were inbound with Blake and Velvet taking the lead. The two faunus women who put the entire event together seemed to fall in line as event hosts for the table. </p>
<p>“This is Blake. I told you about her,” Velvet introduced Coco to Blake and Weiss watched with a bit of curiosity to see how it would go. From what she remembered of the woman, she was polite enough in most situations and then proved to be no different. Blake offered her hand and Coco obligingly took it with a single shake. </p>
<p>“Pleasure to finally meet you,” Coco softly smiled.</p>
<p>“Likewise,” Blake replied. </p>
<p>Weiss placed a reassuring hand on Yang’s arm and she flinched momentarily before calming back down, catching a brief glimpse of the ghost in the reflection of Coco’s glasses. “Coco,” Yang softly spoke and bowed her head in greeting. </p>
<p>“Yang.”</p>
<p>Velvet lifted a hand and shyly waved to the blond woman. “Hey Yang,” she said. Yang smiled a bit more genuinely at the rabbit faunus. </p>
<p>Weiss sighed. “Is the dead girl going to have to be the one to get things rolling again? All of you are terrible.” Impatiently, Weiss took control of Yang’s hand much to her surprise, and reached to grab Blake’s bag underneath the table, nearly knocking Yang’s chin on it in the process. She came back up with a familiar notebook and pen and dropped them on the table in front of her. Blake snorted when she heard Weiss mumble something about not being introduced. All eyes at the table were on Yang, save for Blake who watched Weiss instead as she flipped the notebook open and started writing. </p>
<p>‘Hey Coco’</p>
<p>“Blake, get the mirror or do something,” Weiss sighed and looked at the woman next to her. </p>
<p>Rolling her eyes, Blake obliged and handed the small makeup mirror to Velvet with a nod to Coco. Weiss couldn’t hear what was whispered, but she watched as Velvet scooted a bit closer to Coco and held the mirror up, and whispered something to her. With a bit more whispering and pointing, the pair across from her went quiet and Weiss waited. Waited for that recognition in Coco, but with her glasses on, she couldn’t tell when that moment came. The lenses obscured the woman’s eyebrows as they dipped lower, and her mouth wasn’t anything to fully judge by. </p>
<p>“Weiss?” Coco softly spoke and leaned forward, and from the angle, Weiss could see her scowl when she surely fell out of view again. Velvet leaned forward and lifted Coco’s hand with the mirror again and angled it. </p>
<p>This time, Weiss could hear the words but they simply didn’t register. She scooted closer to Yang and wrote in the notebook, ‘Hi.’</p>
<p>Yang watched everything very tensely and her eyes flicked between the reflections in Coco’s glasses to catch glimpses of Weiss and over to Blake.</p>
<p>“Help?” Weiss asked and looked to Blake.</p>
<p>“So, Weiss is here with us?” Coco asked, breaking the silence. </p>
<p>“She is,” Blake answered. “I’m sure Velvet has told you a fair amount about the situation?” She paused and glanced to Velvet who only nodded. “So, ghosts are real, I can see them, Weiss is here, and the issues between you and Yang are, what we have guessed, her immortal coil if you will.”</p>
<p>Weiss let go of Yang’s hand and caused her to toss the pen on the table and reached over to smack at Blake’s arm. “Don’t be rude.”</p>
<p>“What? It was a statement of facts. You’re the one being rude, throwing things and hitting me,” Blake scoffed and followed it with a laugh. </p>
<p>Everyone at the table was staring at Blake and Weiss rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”</p>
<p>“Um, look, Coco,” Yang sighed and everyone’s attention left the feline faunus and moved to the blond. “I’m sorry. I was-”</p>
<p>Coco raised her hand and interrupted Yang. “Stop. I get it. Weiss died and the idiot who did it wasn’t there to be mad at. Next in line would have been me, right?”</p>
<p>Yang was quiet but only nodded, looking down at the table. Weiss grabbed control of Yang’s arm again and reached for the pen. Yang watched her arm, curiously, and Coco did as well when Weiss started writing. </p>
<p>‘You both were idiots. I don’t blame either of you. Stop being dolts and make up already.’</p>
<p>Yang looked up to Catch Coco’s eye over the edge of her sunglasses and they both sighed. Blake and Velvet only watched in amusement, and Blake had to stifle a laugh when Weiss let go of Yang’s arm again and the pen dropped, startling both women with the sound. </p>
<p>“Happy?” Blake whispered, leaning over to Weiss. </p>
<p>“Getting there,” Weiss admitted and smirked up at Blake.</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>The rest of the diner experience went on without much of a hiccup after the initial introductions and apologies. Apologies followed on both sides, even dragging Velvet in the mix. Blake sipped at her water while the four women with her discussed old times and shared emotions about everything. It wasn’t until after they ate and left the building that anything seemed to be the matter. All of the catching up that happened, and Coco’s attempts to get to know Blake, the quintet hadn’t discussed relationships. </p>
<p>Outside the building, standing in the parking lot, Coco had pulled Blake aside to ask her a question while Velvet and Yang continued talking. </p>
<p>“So, are you and Yang…?”</p>
<p>The open end of that question was enough to make Blake tense up. Explaining the trio’s situation wasn’t something they had discussed before, and she wasn’t sure how to exactly explain it. Or, if Yang wanted to explain it. Everything was still new and the three were simply trying things out. With how her previous relationship ended, and how Yang and Weiss clicked back together so easily, it was definitely a touchy subject. Though, at the same time, with how close Velvet and Coco were to Yang, she also worried about over-sharing. </p>
<p>“You don’t have to answer. I was just curious. Just… I know it’s been a few years and we haven’t been close lately, but I do still worry about her. She’s softer than she may seem, or at least she was before.”</p>
<p>Blake nodded. “I’ll look out for her,” she smiled to reassure Coco. </p>
<p>Coco grinned. “However this Weiss thing goes, make sure you do.” The woman clapped a hand down on Blake’s shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. “Anyway, I think they’re trying to get our attention. Probably time to go.”</p>
<p>Blake followed Coco’s gaze and saw Velvet and Yang looking at them curiously, Velvet motioning them over. Next to them both was Weiss looking directly at Blake with a similar curious expression and Blake knew she would have to answer some questions later.</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>“Ugghh,” Yang groaned and flopped face down onto the couch. She felt exhausted after all of the tension she had built up over the past week finally being let go. She really didn’t know how the lunch would go, especially after how… </p>
<p>“So, I think that went alright,” Blake said with a small hum to herself. Without looking, Yang knew she was in the kitchen area, and the sound of the stove only confirmed it. </p>
<p>“Make me a cup, too?” she asked and rolled onto her back.</p>
<p>“Yeah, alright,” Blake replied and grabbed down the mugs. “Vanilla chamomile fine? Feeling like something mellow.” </p>
<p>“Sounds good,” Yang yawned and reached up for the remote, but the TV turned on by itself. When Yang glanced over, it turned back off. She picked up the remote, but before she could hit the power button, it turned back on. </p>
<p>“Stop doing that,” Blake chastised from the kitchen.</p>
<p>“I’m not doing that,” Yang answered and sat up.</p>
<p>“Not you. Weiss, that’s probably not good for the TV. Stop that,” Blake chastised, and the TV turned back off. </p>
<p>“What was she doing?” Yang glanced back at Blake and then to the TV again where she assumed Weiss was, though a familiar coolness settled next to her on the couch and dispelled that thought. </p>
<p>“Flexing her, as she phrased it, ‘ghostly abilities’ to see what all she can do. Not sure if you noticed, but she also melted all the ice in my glass at the restaurant,” Blake sighed and shook her head.</p>
<p>“Is that what happened to mine, too?” Yang frowned and looked to the cold spot next to her that felt more prickly and electric after being called out. </p>
<p>“More than likely. She also hasn’t stopped asking about going to Ruby’s wedding, either, and invited herself,” Blake laughed. “Not that she wasn’t invited to begin with, I’m assuming?” </p>
<p>“I hadn’t even thought about it, but- Ow, hey,” Yang huffed at the electric shock that went through her arm. “Are you a ghost or a poltergeist? Jeez.” She rubbed at her arm where Weiss touched her as Blake started laughing in the kitchen. “I was going to say I had assumed you would be going with us regardless.” The frown on her face must have been enough to calm Weiss down as the electric feeling settled down. “Blake, how did you put up with ghosts for so long?” The question earned her a cold feeling in her arm and assumed Weiss had smacked her. </p>
<p>“Honestly? Most never stuck around longer than a few weeks. We figured out their tasks and they crossed over, they left or got forcibly sent away,” Blake explained as she entered the room and set the mugs down on the coffee table, and rolled her eyes at the cold spot right after. “Want to move a bit?” She caught Yang’s eye and gave her a single shake of her head to tell her she wasn’t talking to her with that last request. Instead, Weiss moved and Blake smiled, settling down on the couch and getting comfortable leaning against Yang. </p>
<p>Yang smiled and wrapped an arm around Blake and then felt a cool but warming feeling settle against the two of them assuming it to be Weiss. From where she sat, she could barely see the mirror leaned against the wall and caught a glimpse of the three of them settling in.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everyone!</p>
<p>I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Finally the meeting with Coco and Velvet! There are definitely some things to work out still between them all, but they're at least getting on track to do so.</p>
<p>Anyway... I wanted to say here, too,  that Quotidian Solicitude will be going on hiatus after Chapter 15 goes up. I say this because accompanying that, I also announced that I have another project that I'm working on that I'll begin uploading after in its place. It's going to be something familiar to those who enjoy my other works, but also different. It's been pretty hot and cold working on it because of some other issues going on, but I think it's going to be worth it.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading and sticking with me~ ♥</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Chapter 22</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She was busy seating two customers when her phone buzzed in her apron pocket. Blake ignored the sound and knew that if it’s a call it will buzz again in three, two, one, and… Nothing. It was only a text message. She breathed a little easier knowing it was simply a text message. She would have to check out what the message was in a bit since there was another couple that walked in and needed to be seated. Her eyes scanned around and saw Ezra and the new girl doing rounds and checking on customers and Blake felt better knowing she just seated the group in Ezra’s section. Their eyes met for a moment and Blake glanced to the new table and Ezra gives a slight nod. She looked to the empty table in his section and flicks an ear at the couple who just entered and he gave another slight nod. The entire exchange took less than three seconds, and Blake rushed back to the front to greet the new customers. </p>
<p>In her mind, the Sunday lunch rush was simply another penance of hers to pay for having the previous day off. All of the after-church crowds filled the restaurants that happened to be open on the day a lot of others were closed. The new girl happened to have been unfortunate enough to work the Sunday rush after only two weeks there, claiming she had waitressing experience, but from what Blake and Ezra had seen, she could hardly keep up in the chaos of it. When she worked, Blake made sure to make things easier on the customers and give Ezra or any of the others with more experience a few extra tables. </p>
<p>Blake liked the days she worked with Ezra, though, since the two of them started there around the same time and had looked out for each other since day one. While Angelo and Rosa always made sure to be as fair as possible with everyone, sometimes it fell upon the employees to look out for each other with unpleasant customers. Rosa, bless her, could sometimes be too sweet for her own good. The same could be said of Angelo, too, but he also could be quite intimidating if the situation called for it. Instead, the employees on the floor looked out for each other. </p>
<p>As customers left, more entered. The pattern continued for hours until, nearing two-thirty, more and more tables were staying empty. The new girl… Blake was terrible with new employee names. Valerie or Vicky or something with a V… cleaned up the last of the tables in her section and left for the day. Only another half hour of seating to go and people trickled out. At three, Ezra tugged the open sign’s power and Blake was finally able to take a break. Ezra exited the kitchen with two mugs of tea and offered one to Blake who gladly accepted. </p>
<p>“Trevor’s gonna cover the two tables for me,” Ezra laughed and walked to the table Blake always sat at. He pulled out a chair and settled down with a long sigh. “Feels good to sit down finally,” he groaned. Blake tried to make a mental note of the person’s name being Trevor.  </p>
<p>“Tell me about it. I forgot Sundays were like this,” Blake sighed and shook her head. </p>
<p>“That’s right, you typically have Sundays off,” he laughed. </p>
<p>After a long sip from her tea, Blake reached into her pocket to pull out her phone. The message from earlier was there waiting for her. Expecting it to be Yang, Blake was surprised to see it was from Velvet this time. It only took a second to open it up. </p>
<p>‘Hey, Blake! I hope things are going well for you three. Just wanted to let you know that Coco seems to be taking things pretty well, and also ask for Yang’s number so Coco can talk with her more.’</p>
<p>Blake’s ears laid flat to her head nearly getting lost in her hair while she tried to remember Yang’s number right off, but had to give up and open her contacts list to get the number. Another few seconds before she replied, and finally the message was sent. Within seconds a ‘thank you’ message was received and Blake smiled.</p>
<p>“Oooh, talking with a boyfriend? Is he cute?” Ezra teased while watching Blake’s face as she messaged Velvet. </p>
<p>“Stop that,” Blake laughed and eyed the redhead with a frown. “This was just a friend. Though, you remember my roommate?”</p>
<p>Ezra snorted. “How could I forget the pizza-loving, raging lesbian? Don’t tell me, the two of you finally…?” He raised an eyebrow.</p>
<p>Blake rolled her eyes. “I’m gonna let Yang know you called her that,” she laughed. “But, to answer…” Blake paused a moment to try and figure out how to actually respond. “Sorta?”</p>
<p>That reply got Ezra’s other eyebrow raised. “Really? I was only joking.”</p>
<p>Blake smacked his shoulder with the back of her hand. “It’s still new. We’re seeing how it goes, but after, well…” Blake sighed. “You know.”</p>
<p>“That edgelord you were seeing before? God, he was a dick,” Ezra laughed and took a drink from his mug. “I thought he was going to fight Angelo that one day.”</p>
<p>“Ugh, don’t remind me. But yes, him. It’s been… difficult getting over that all and I don’t want to mess anything up with Yang.” Blake wanted to mention Weiss in all of this, she really did. Weiss was a huge part of the entire situation, too, and probably a bigger factor for Blake’s hesitation in everything, but trying to explain to everyone about ghosts typically was not a good idea. She tried it when she was little and was written off as playing games. When she got older and tried, she got made fun of or adults thought her stories of the supernatural were attention-seeking behavior. An overactive imagination. She felt absolutely lucky things with Velvet, Yang, and Coco went as well as they did, but it also helped that Velvet and Yang both seemed to have been seeing Weiss in glimpses anyway. </p>
<p>“I wouldn’t worry about it. You’ve already been living together for a few years now, and it’s not like she’s unfamiliar with the history there. She’ll understand.” Ezra shrugged and stretched. </p>
<p>“Yeah, you’re right,” Blake admitted with a sigh.</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>“Weiss!” Yang shouted as she stormed from the kitchen through the rest of the apartment. Weiss watched her with amusement while she sat on the couch. While Yang had gotten up to use the restroom, Weiss had felt it the perfect opportunity to see if she was capable of using her temperature energy capabilities to cool down the coffee Yang had just made. Except… She had overdone it and accidentally frozen the whole mug into a coffee ice cube. </p>
<p>“There you are,” Yang grumbled as she left the hall. </p>
<p>Weiss looked over to the TV and mirror in the living room and cursed that she had been so careless as to not consider them. She made a dash for the wall separating the living room and Blake’s room and dived through it, feeling Yang’s hand pass through her shoulder while she made her escape. </p>
<p>“Stop messing with my drinks,” Yang called out and Weiss could hear her return to the kitchen. </p>
<p>Feeling the coast was safe again, she stepped back into the living room to see Yang grumbling and making a new cup of coffee. She settled onto the couch again and waited for Yang to return and turn the TV. After being told to not mess with the electronics, and accidentally burning out three light bulbs, Weiss decided it was probably best to actually listen to Blake and her experience on the matter, even if she admitted to not having all the answers. If Weiss was honest, it wasn’t until the light bulb incidents that she really listened. </p>
<p>The freedom that came with being a ghost was something Weiss was adapting to. The downsides of not having a physical form still made everything difficult, but she didn’t feel the weight of that as much after pushing the limits of what she could do. It also helped that, with her window for crossing over coming to a close, and the task that had been tying her to the plane in the process of being resolved, she felt lighter and more vibrant. In at least one of the notebooks, passages noted that the crossing over point seemed to note a maturation. Staying beyond that heightened a lot of things for spirits since they were no longer tied to the other side. </p>
<p>The couch shifted slightly and Weiss then noticed that Yang sat next to her. She scooted closer and leaned her head against Yang’s shoulder, careful to not pass her head through her torso… again… </p>
<p>“There you are,” Yang smiled. “Blake should be back soon.” The moment was interrupted when Yang’s phone chirped from nearby. Weiss sat up and Yang leaned over to grab her jacket from the floor and dig through the pockets to get her phone out. Weiss leaned in to take a look at what was going on. “Who is…”</p>
<p>When Yang sat up, she read the message and Weiss noted her confusion melt away. </p>
<p>“Huh… Coco’s got my number now.” </p>
<p>Weiss scooted closer to try and read the phone but Yang had already sent a reply and turned it off again. </p>
<p>“Anyway,” Yang mumbled and brought her legs up on the couch to lay down. Weiss shifted forward to let her get comfortable, and when Yang patted the spot in front of her, Weiss settled in and laid down to be the ghostly little spoon while the blond turned on the TV. Feeling Yang’s warmth at her back, Weiss sighed and let herself feel enveloped in the feeling.</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>“Damn dogs,” Blake hissed while she hung her jacket up on a hook by the door.</p>
<p>“What happened?” Weiss called out from the couch. Behind her, Yang had fallen asleep and couldn’t be woken by anything less than an explosion. Weiss had managed to find a peaceful meditative state to recharge in but was roused when Blake opened the door. </p>
<p>“Just… At work, Angelo apparently has been feeding the strays going around, leaving them the stuff not good enough to donate. After work he had me bring it back there, and I will say, most of them are fine, but there’s this one that’s just…” Blake grumbled. </p>
<p>Weiss frowned and got up from the couch. Yang mumbled something in her sleep, but it seemed completely unintelligible and both Blake and Weiss ignored it. The ghost approached the feline faunus woman, running a hand down her back and getting a shudder in response. “Everything okay?”</p>
<p>A long sigh from Blake. “Yeah. Dumb dog nipped at me, though. Growled and everything. Whatever.”</p>
<p>Weiss reached out again and her fingers trailed through Blake’s shirt sleeve. Their cool and electrical nature sent shocks along Blake’s arm, slowly moving up past her elbow. The hair on the corporeal woman's arm stood on end while Weiss chased the blood flow back to Blake’s heart through her back. Warmth circulated through her, emanating from her fingers, up her wrist. Her arm. Past her elbow. Up into her shoulder. The sensation caused Weiss to shudder.</p>
<p>"Mm, are you alright?" Blake asked when she sensed a pause in Weiss. The concern on her face was clear.</p>
<p>"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Her smile reassured the corporeal woman before her. The ghostly fingers of the spectral being danced through Blake's warm, beating, living form. “Why don’t you go sit down and I’ll help you relax.” Weiss motioned to the stool in the kitchen. “Just… ignore the frozen coffee.”</p>
<p>Blake let out a long and drawn-out sigh. </p>
<p>“Yang already had words with me about that, don’t worry,” Weiss laughed. She followed the other woman to the kitchen and when she sat down on the stool, stepped behind her. “It might be a bit soon for you, but I know Yang wouldn’t mind if you slept with her.” As soon as the words left her mouth and she sensed Blake tense up, she knew she had to clarify. “A-actual sleep. Cuddling and sleeping. That sort of thing,” Weiss reassured her and ran her hands over and through Blake’s back. Blake's eyes shut and a shiver ushered her back into a contented state. Weiss continued her path up over Blake's shoulder, her fingers passing through tensed muscles and relaxed them. The tension held within sinewy knots eased once she was done with them. </p>
<p>“I- yeah,” Blake mumbled and hummed contentedly as Weiss found another tough spot halfway down Blake’s back. </p>
<p>“This relationship isn’t just Yang and me. It’s the three of us, and I can tell she worries about you.”</p>
<p>“You mean she complains about it when I’m not here?” Blake asked.</p>
<p>“Shush,” Weiss laughed. Yang stirred on the couch and Blake tilted an ear her way. Weiss got better about noticing the small movements and turned her head to see Yang sitting up. </p>
<p>“Speak of the devil,” Blake hummed. </p>
<p>“What’s going on?” Yang yawned and got up, shuffled into the kitchen, and looked at Blake oddly before realizing Weiss was there, too. “You okay, Blakey?” </p>
<p>Weiss moved her hands in circles down Blake’s back and hummed to herself, letting the faunus woman speak. “I’ll be fine. Rough day at work. After church rush, then had a small issue with some of the dogs that Angelo’s been feeding. Or, one specifically.” </p>
<p>Yang stepped behind Blake and wrapped her in a hug, shuddering as she passed through Weiss. “Sorry, Weiss,” she mumbled, but Weiss didn’t mind, especially when she saw how Blake leaned back against the taller woman. Instead, she stepped around to the side of both of them and did her best to hug them in her own way.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everyone!<br/>So, weird times for me right now. Without going into too much detail, there was a family thing going on regarding a relative I wasn't that close with for reasons, and I didn't know how to deal with or really process for a while. It has made me realize some things about myself that I had suspicions of for a while, but overall, I should be alright. It wasn't anything terrible or anything, just... Dealing or not dealing with loss in different ways. </p>
<p>Anyway!<br/>I hope you enjoyed this chapter! A bit more of what's going on with Blake. There are a lot of things I wanted to put into this story but one story arc wasn't enough to have them all in without it droning on and on, but chapters like this let me bring some of that out. There will definitely be more character interaction and reflection moments through everything in some way or another. It's actually quite cathartic to write and it's present in most of my writing, even dating back to when I was 11 or 12 (but nobody will read any of my old stuff from then if I can help it). </p>
<p>Thank you for sticking with me. I say it almost every single time I write a closing note for these, but I mean it every time. Thank you. ♥</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Chapter 23</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What? What’s going on? Where are we going?” Blake asked as she was ushered out of the apartment before having a chance to finish her tea. She had only barely gotten dressed after having been roused from slumber at what she thought was entirely too early. The laughter from Weiss wasn’t helping things, either, and she frowned. </p>
<p>“All in due time,” Yang cryptically teased and dragged the faunus woman along by the hand. </p>
<p>“It’s not even ten yet, why am I even awake?” Blake groaned. </p>
<p>“Because we need to go shopping and I don’t work until late today, so this seemed the best opportunity to do it.”</p>
<p>“This is nothing. You should have seen her when it was time for me to meet her parents. She woke me up at five to get ready,” Weiss frowned. </p>
<p>“You shut it, you’re not helping,” Blake scowled at the ghost following along. </p>
<p>Yang looked back over her shoulder to Blake as she pushed open the door to the sidewalk. “What’d she say?”</p>
<p>Blake huffed. “Only that you woke her up at an hour that shouldn’t exist to prepare to meet your parents the first time.”</p>
<p>“Ohh, I remember that. Yeah, I was so nervous,” Yang laughed as the three women turned the corner into the apartment complex parking area, only stopping next to a beat-up looking truck. Yang’s truck. “Anyway, we need to look for something to wear to the wedding if we’re going to do this thing.”</p>
<p>“I’m not letting you out of this. You roped me into it, I’m dragging you with me,” Blake warned. </p>
<p>“I figured,” Yang laughed and opened the driver-side door and hit the button to unlock the passenger side. “And now we need to find dresses to wear. Or should I go for a suit? Or did you want to wear a suit? Should we both wear them?” Yang climbed in and sucked on her bottom lip while she thought. “Let’s go see if we can find anything, first.”</p>
<p>Blake yawned and buckled her seatbelt. Weiss climbed in through the closed door and sat in the middle seat. “Mm, let’s just look around. You said bright colors?”</p>
<p>“That’s what Ruby said. Even if she’s messing with us, we’ll still be the best-dressed guests,” Yang laughed. “Anyway, there’s a clothing place across town that’s not terribly priced. We’ll start there.”</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>The entire drive, any time Blake would doze off against the door, Weiss made sure to poke her awake. On some level, the spirit knew this was rude, but on a completely different and entirely self satisfactory level, she found the sleepy surprised look on Blake’s face too adorable to leave alone. Especially with how her ears flicked nearly in sync with her blinking as she tried to process what was happening. She couldn’t pester Yang too much because she at least respected that driving took a fair amount of attention and she would rather not be the cause for a major accident, even if the idea that the three of them being spirits together did sound appealing. </p>
<p>After waking Blake up for the fourth time, the trio pulled into a parking lot of an outlet mall. Blake yawned and stretched as she got out of the truck, closing the truck door with a small slam to ensure it closed properly. Weiss remembered when Yang got the truck and how it was a piece of junk then, and all the years later it was still a piece of junk. Just… slightly more operational after the time the blond put into it. Though, that wasn’t fair. The truck was in moderately better condition, the woman having replaced broken and dented parts with those she either bought secondhand or found adequate replacements for. It was simply aging and in need of a paint job and- </p>
<p>Weiss looked away from the truck to only see a glimpse of blond hair on the other side of a glass door and she rushed after it. She supposed it was her own fault for not paying attention. Inside the store, she was greeted with the standard fare of pop hits playing over the speakers throughout the place, a song she didn’t recognize right off, most likely due to her being dead for a while and having missed the releases of the past few years. It didn’t take too much wandering around to figure out where her girlfriends were. Yang’s orange shirt stood out across the store and- oh no. She was looking at a neon yellow dress. </p>
<p>“Yang Xiao Long, absolutely not!” Weiss shouted as she marched across the store. Blake turned around from the rack she was looking through to glance at Weiss, then around to Yang, and burst into laughter. </p>
<p>“I think someone doesn’t think that one is right for you,” Blake laughed. Yang looked up and Weiss forcibly took over Yang’s hand and placed the dress back on the rack with force. </p>
<p>“Jeez, okay, okay. I’ll find something else,” Yang grumbled. “I was only looking, anyway.”</p>
<p>“So, are we making a rainbow or something? What colors are already taken? How is this working?” Blake asked as she turned back to look through dresses. </p>
<p>“I’m not sure, but it’s very… Christmas-y right now, from my understanding,” Yang laughed. </p>
<p>“Hmm?” Blake glanced at Yang.</p>
<p>“Ruby’s wearing red and Penny will be in green. Like Christmas. And mom will be in pink, so… You know.”</p>
<p>Weiss rolled her eyes and turned to Blake. “Will you tell her to not be rude? I’m sure it will be lovely. And I’m not letting either of you wear something hideous.”</p>
<p>“Hey, I hear dead people, and they say to stop being an ass,” Blake told Yang in a rather monotone voice. Weiss reached to smack her but Blake stepped out of the way much to Weiss’ displeasure. “Also, she won’t let us be ugly or something,” she continued, and this time Weiss managed to pass her hand through Blake’s arm. </p>
<p>“What? I wasn’t being mean. Red and green are holiday colors,” Yang tried to defend herself and Weiss moved to smack her this time, giving her a shiver. “Alright, fine. What about this color?” She held up a dress in a dark shade of orange and both Blake and Weiss shook their heads. “Oh whatever, I’m going over there to check,” Yang huffed and trudged off, looking back at Blake with a pout. </p>
<p>“It’s like she forgot all of the things Coco and I told her,” Weiss sighed and turned to Blake. “At least it looks like you have some better fashion sense…” </p>
<p>Blake held up the dress she was holding and turned to the side to glance at it in the light. Dark purple fabric with black straps hung off of the hanger. “I don’t know. Might be a bit dark. I think we’re supposed to wear something more vibrant.”</p>
<p>Weiss hummed in thought. “Unfortunate. I think that color would look good on you. What about that one?” she asked and pointed to a grape colored strapless dress and Blake only shook her head. </p>
<p>“Absolutely not.”</p>
<p>“What? Why?” Weiss huffed. </p>
<p>“Do you see those frills on the side? I won’t do it,” Blake frowned and her ears laid flat on her head as she stared at Weiss. </p>
<p>“Fine,” Weiss sighed.</p>
<p>“Why don’t I find some things I like and then consult you?” Blake offered, still looking mildly grumpy about the whole situation. </p>
<p>“That’ll work. I’m going to wander around and make sure Yang isn’t going to look like a disaster,” Weiss grumbled and walked away, through racks and displays, leaving Blake to her own devices. </p>
<p>The ghost could see Yang on the other side of the store and as she approached, she could see the disappointment of her expression. She held up two different dresses, moving one in front of herself while standing in front of a mirror, then moving it away to hold up the other. The first, a melon orange dress with a simple cut and around the neck strap looked pretty, but Weiss could tell that Yang’s hair would clash with it, and it seemed that Yang could tell as well as she hung it back up. The second, a similar style, but in a pastel yellow, looked much better but did nothing for her complexion. It was a shade too bright and left her cheeks looking an unfortunate color in comparison. The blond hung that dress up as well. </p>
<p>Weiss approached and waited until Yang caught sight of her in the mirror to offer her a soft smile of encouragement. </p>
<p>“Blake shoo you away?” Yang asked and Weiss nodded. “Figures. She isn’t much good on so little sleep, though you probably figured that out already.” She smiled and sighed. </p>
<p>Weiss could see Yang’s eyes trying to focus on her only to lose sight of her every time they did and it only reinforced the difficulty this all would have in the long run. She would have to ask Blake about it later. </p>
<p>“I haven’t even thought about a wedding present. Have to find something,” Yang groaned. “Later, though. Later. Right now it’s dresses. Or a suit. I’m going to go look at suits.” </p>
<p>Weiss rolled her eyes but offered a thumbs up of approval. Weiss couldn’t deny that Yang looked sharp in a suit, but, maidens help her, if she picked up something neon again, Weiss was going to lose it. Following after her, she was instantly thankful that the suit selection seemed to be more reasonable in color choices. Perhaps she could trust Yang on her own. Weiss wandered back through the store to look for Blake, but the faunus woman was nowhere to be seen. </p>
<p>“Blake?” Weiss called out. No answer. “Blake?” she tried again and passed through another section, careful to look around all of the displays. Still no answer. Weiss frowned and was about to check outside the store, seeing if she tried to slip away without telling anyone. “Blake?” she tried one more time and finally got a response.</p>
<p>“Hmm?”</p>
<p>It was nearby. Weiss glanced around and spotted the dressing room section. Only one of the doors was closed. “Are you in the dressing room?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Blake mumbled so as to not call attention to herself. “What do you think of this one?” she asked and was about to open the door when Weiss stepped through it, startling her. “Tell me when you’re going to do that!” she hissed and Weiss sheepishly smiled. </p>
<p>“Sorry,” Weiss offered as Blake stepped back and did a quick spin in front of Weiss. “The color is good. That iris color looks great on you, but those sleeves are…” Weiss shook her head. </p>
<p>“Thought so,” Blake sighed and set about unzipping the back. “The other one there isn’t much better. A little too much tulle in the skirt for my liking.”</p>
<p>Weiss looked at it and hummed. “It looks like it has a sewn-in petticoat,” she said and turns back around to see Blake in only her undergarments. “Oh,” she laughed and smiled. </p>
<p>Blake looked up and rolled her eyes. “Like you haven’t peeked at me changing before. You’re not so subtle about these things.” </p>
<p>Seeing the half-naked faunus woman before her, Weiss got an idea. A mischievous idea. She turned around and poked her head through the changing room wall and looked around before returning her attention to Blake. “You know…” she said slowly and stepped closer. Blake eyed her cautiously and Weiss could have sworn something about her golden eyes saw right through her plans with how her brows furrowed. </p>
<p>“What are you planning there, hmm?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know what you’re implying, Belladonna,” Weiss huffed but couldn’t keep the grin from her face. Blake simply shook her head but didn’t attempt to move away. </p>
<p>“You need to work on your look of innocence. That smile? Cover fully blown,” Blake laughed. </p>
<p>Weiss huffed but reached a hand out and walked her fingers up Blake’s stomach. The feline faunus inhaled with a short gasp at the chill turned warm and electric. It seemed Blake was even more sensitive than Yang was, and Weiss was positive she would thoroughly enjoy playing with her. With her free hand, she reached up to try and cup Blake’s cheek and she shuddered. Like before with the massage, strange sensations crept down her arm and Weiss felt… alive. But the feeling was short-lived and she must have made an expression of some sort since she found Blake staring at her with a puzzled look in her eyes. </p>
<p>“Are you okay?” Blake asked.</p>
<p>“Y-yeah. That was-”</p>
<p>“A bit intense. I saw stars for a moment when you touched my cheek.”</p>
<p>“Are you okay?” Weiss asked back, pulling her hands away from Blake. “I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>“I’m fine, but, that was… I don’t know what. I think everything is getting stronger the closer your crossing over window is to closing.” Weiss stepped back and she knew she looked worried simply from seeing Blake’s expression change to one of concern. “Nothing dangerous, don’t worry. Just… something to practice with. Because what you told me you and Yang did, I think you might be able to do that with a single touch soon enough,” Blake laughed. </p>
<p>A knock on the door interrupted the moment.</p>
<p>“Everything okay in there?” Yang asked. </p>
<p>“Yeah, um, let me get dressed and I’ll be out,” Blake called out. </p>
<p>“Are you two having fun in there without me?”</p>
<p>Weiss’ cheeks flushed and she smirked in amusement seeing Blake’s cheeks do the same thing. </p>
<p>“Shush,” Blake frowned. </p>
<p>“Alright, well, I’m not really seeing anything jumping out at me here. What about you?”</p>
<p>“Nah. We’ll have to try somewhere else,” Blake sighed. “This is why I am not a fan of dresses. They’re all awkward.”</p>
<p>Weiss snorted next to Blake as the faunus woman finished getting dressed. “You two should try some of the boutiques in downtown.” </p>
<p>“And apparently Weiss says we need to try some of the boutiques downtown,” Blake informed Yang.</p>
<p>“Aren’t they a little outside our budget?” Yang asked and Weiss frowned. </p>
<p>Blake opened the door and stepped out. “I’m pretty sure they are. We’ll figure something out later. I’ll look around online later,” she reassured Yang who only shrugged. </p>
<p>“At this point, Ruby’s going to get what she’s going to get from us. Worst case, we come back and grab whatever fits the most comfortably and call it a day,” Yang laughed.</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>Yatsuhashi slid a sketchbook across the table to Coco. “Fox was giving me some ideas for a few designs last weekend, and this is what I’ve got.” Coco looked at the larger man and tried to bite back her laugh. “Yes, the blind man helped me with some sketches,” he sighed and motioned to the book. “Just, look at them already.”</p>
<p>“Alright, alright,” Coco laughed. “He did have a good idea for that jacket you came up with last fall.” She opened the book and flipped through a few pages, and her expression was hidden behind her sunglasses. </p>
<p>Yatsuhashi watched her in anticipation. The two of them had a brutally honest friendship when it came to their creative designs. They learned to not hold anything back since it was the only way they got through the first year together. </p>
<p>“Which part was Fox on this one?” Coco asked and flipped the book around to show a sketch of a dress, a grin on her face growing. </p>
<p>“If you must know, he suggested the buttons on the side there,” Yatsuhashi pointed. “Said it gave it a, in his words, ‘comfortable uneven’ and I’m inclined to agree.”</p>
<p>“I was only teasing. But, I like this one. And the one back here.” Coco flipped back two pages and pointed out another sketch. “This one. The others… Think they need a few redesigns. Too strappy. I’ll have to look over them again later, though. We can do it again when I’ve got my book on me,” she sighed and closed the sketchbook, handing it back to her friend. </p>
<p>“Still thinking about Weiss?” he asked.</p>
<p>“No. Yes. Sorta. Velvs dragged me to a lunch with Yang and her roommate and it’s got me feeling mixed up about things. I’ll be fine,” Coco shrugged and grabbed her coffee. “Letting go of years of guilt isn’t the easiest of things to do,” she laughed and took a long drink from her cup. </p>
<p>Yatsuhashi nodded. “Alright, well, you have my number if you need anything.”</p>
<p>“I know. Goes the other way, too,” Coco reminded him. “Though, what do you know about ghosts?” The look she got from the man told her all she needed to know. “Nevermind then. Was a silly thought,” she laughed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everyone. </p>
<p>A lot has been going on with me, and I'm sorry for the long hiatus of things. Unfortunately, my writing has hit a bit of a block for the moment, and I fell into a sort of... funk. (which is a nice way of putting mood spiral that I was struggling to claw my way out of)</p>
<p>But not everything that happened during that time was bad, so don't worry about that. The long and short of it is I'm on the up and up. So, yay!</p>
<p>Anyway!</p>
<p>I'm going to try uploading more of this a bit more frequently to make up for the long pause. We're closing in on the end and I feel everyone deserves to see how this ends~</p>
<p>Hopefully you enjoyed this!<br/>(And thank you for sticking by me)<br/>♥</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Chapter 24</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hey, Blake?” Weiss called out from the living room. She looked up from the coffee table she was sitting in front of and turned to Blake in the kitchen. </p>
<p>“Hmm?” Blake hummed in response, not bothering to look up from her phone as she leaned back against the counter, waiting for the kettle to finish heating. </p>
<p>“Do you know what it will feel like when my opportunity to cross over is gone?” Weiss asked the question with some hesitation in her voice. </p>
<p>“Honestly? Most of this is new for me, too. We’ll just have to figure it out as we go. Why do you ask, though?” Blake set her phone aside, offering a glance Weiss’ direction before stopping and staring at her. </p>
<p>“Uh, yeah. This is why,” Weiss sheepishly laughed. She stood up and a strange fog was rolling off of her. “It just started a few minutes ago. It feels like I have a fever. Chills and then burning up.” The fog collected around Weiss’ feet when she stood and dissipated not long after, the cloud of it not growing any larger. “Should- should we be worried?” Her voice wavered.</p>
<p>“Okay, Weiss? I don’t think this has anything to do with that window,” Blake cautiously walked into the living room and slowly approached. “Ugh, this is always so weird and I hoped it wouldn’t happen,” she mumbled. </p>
<p>The ghost’s eyes widened and she held onto her right arm with her left hand, squeezing her bicep. “What’s happening to me?” </p>
<p>Blake squeezed her eyes shut and sighed. “It’s… Ugh… How do I explain this?” She raised a hand to cover her eyes a moment. “Okay, so, you already know how your temperature and mood are related. Though stronger for you than any other I’ve met, but that’s a whole other thing.” Blake opened her eyes again and rubbed her hands over her face. “The best I can figure is that this is… You’re…” A long sigh from her only made the situation awkward.</p>
<p>Weiss stared at the faunus woman before her without blinking, still looking as confused as before. Blake wished she was less awkward about these things. </p>
<p>“You’re a being of constant energy fluctuation. You can absorb it when you rest from your surroundings. How you do that, I have no idea. You can also expel it. It’s how you’re able to affect things like temperature from my best guess, and why you can briefly power electronics and burn out light bulbs,” Blake explained. “Your natural state is a chilled one, which is low energy. Very neutral. Not freezing, and not burning.” She watched Weiss try and take in the information and nod along. “But this…” Blake motioned to Weiss to accentuate her point, the fog continuing to roll off of her. “There’s… You have an excess of… energy.”</p>
<p>Weiss frowned, and Blake couldn’t blame her. Her explanation of things only touched the surface of the topic and she wished she had compiled the information into an easy-to-read guide, but no, Blake hadn’t done that. She mentally kicked herself. </p>
<p>“I still don’t understand,” Weiss mumbled.</p>
<p>Blake’s attention was pulled away when the kettle whistled and she took the opportunity to excuse herself from the situation. The momentary reprieve let her gather her thoughts better. Ghosts releasing energy when it got too backed up like Weiss did was a very awkward thing, but it would need to be one that she and Yang would need to help with at times. As Blake poured water into her mug for the tea, she wondered how she could have even missed such a thing the other day in the dressing room. When she turned to leave the kitchen, Weiss’ sudden appearance startled her and she almost spilled her mug. </p>
<p>“Jeez, you’re going to be the death of me,” she shook her head. </p>
<p>Weiss rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “If you want to avoid explaining the rest of this that badly, I suppose something can be arranged,” Weiss huffed, but the scowl she wore wasn’t serious. Blake could tell from her eyes alone. The false tough act had been easy enough to read through.</p>
<p>“Look, you need to expend energy. Remember the day in the sun and how you were struggling? Being in the sun is a passive way to use energy for you and helps prevent this.” </p>
<p>Weiss huffed again and tilted her head expectantly to hurry her along. “The way you’re dancing around this, it’s almost like it’s something sexual.”</p>
<p>Blake remained quiet. </p>
<p>“The cure for this is sex,” Weiss stated in disbelief.</p>
<p>“That is an effective and relatively safe way to dispel excess-”</p>
<p>“I got it. You’re said ‘energy’ about a hundred times too many,” Weiss sighed. “So, is this something I should wait for Yang since you’re so set on avoiding even talking about it? And is it going to cause further problems waiting that long?”</p>
<p>Blake frowned and walked through Weiss to get into the living room, the sensation being much stronger than before. She wasn’t exactly sure how to explain herself, but she knew she would need to sooner rather than later. Though, it was something that Yang would need to hear as well, but… Well, the current situation seemed as good as any to try broaching that subject. Weiss followed her into the living room and settled next to her on the couch. </p>
<p>“I’m not mad,” Weiss sighed. “Yang and I… We just wish you’d talk with us. I’m beginning to worry that dragging the conversation of the relationship up in the first place was a mistake,” she frowned and stared down at the floor.</p>
<p>“Weiss, I- Look, I-” Blake stammered. “I have baggage, okay? Yang only knows a little bit of it, but she doesn’t know everything that Adam put me through. Only months ago, too. And it’s not something I’m really ready to unpack yet. But, even before him, I had trust issues. Being called the crazy girl, the girl who makes up stories for attention, the girl who talks to herself, the girl with the overactive imagination, the girl with something wrong with her… It’s a lot, okay? You don’t just… outgrow being the weird girl like that and come out the other side unscathed. Being a damn homing beacon for everything weird in the world isn’t all that fun, thank you.”</p>
<p>Weiss was quiet as Blake spoke, but turned her attention to the faunus woman to watch her speak. </p>
<p>“And I’m not avoiding sex because of some aversion. I know you’ve snooped around my room enough to know what’s hidden where in there. You know I’m not sex-repulsed. I’m just- I’m scared, alright? Ugghhh,” Blake groaned and leaned back on the couch, tilting her head to stare at the ceiling. “For once in my life, I actually have worries about a relationship going well. I don’t want to fuck anything up. And I don’t know what will happen once that line gets crossed, going from separate beds to sharing a bed, you know?”</p>
<p>“Blake,” Weiss finally said and reached a hesitant hand out to the woman next to her, resting it on her shoulder, careful to not pass it through her. “Yang will understand all of this. You just need to tell her. We both know her well enough to know this.”</p>
<p>“You’re right. I’m… I’m just being an idiot.”</p>
<p>“A little bit,” Weiss laughed. </p>
<p>Blake turned to look at Weiss and rolled her eyes. “Gee, thanks.”</p>
<p>“Anytime,” Weiss grinned. “So… This energy thing…”</p>
<p>“Oh, yeah. You’ll be fine waiting for Yang,” Blake answered. “Feel like I need to lay down now, though.”</p>
<p>“Stretch out then. We can watch TV for a bit. I’ll lay with you if you want.”</p>
<p>Blake smiled. “Alright.”</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>“Where my wives at?” Yang called out when she shut the door to the apartment. She kicked her boots off and dropped her bag on the table. She turned to the living room and grinned when she caught a glimpse of Blake and Weiss laying on the couch together, but the grin fell slightly seeing a strange mist pouring over the edge of the couch. “Hey, uhh… Not to alarm you two, but is that normal?”</p>
<p>“Hmm?” Blake lifted her head and rubbed at her eyes. “I’m up. I’m up.”</p>
<p>Yang rolled her eyes. “Yeah, okay, but what’s all the mist doing here? Did you get a fog machine when I was at work?” She watched Blake frown and turn her head to look around her.</p>
<p>“Seems so,” Blake said softly. “No, go ahead and stand up and see.”</p>
<p>“Only hearing half of these conversations is getting a bit tiring, you know,” Yang teased. “So, what’s going on? Is the fog Weiss or something? Is that why it’s moving like that?”</p>
<p>“What exactly does it look like to you?” Blake asked as she got up from the couch. </p>
<p>Yang raised an eyebrow. “Well, there was fog rolling off of the couch where the two of you were laying. And now it looks like a small patch of fog on the floor there.” She pointed. “Is it coming off of Weiss?”</p>
<p>Blake smiled. “Yeah, actually. That’s… I’ll have to make note of this, but, uh, long story short, our specter girlfriend here is supercharged and the fog is a result of that. Funky temperature stuff, basically. I can explain it better when I’m more awake. Though you’ll have to help her dispel some of this or else we’re going to have some poltergeist level anomalies going on later. Burst light bulbs, fried electronics, highly fluctuating temperatures, and so on.” She paused and frowned. “What? No. I thought I explained that?” </p>
<p>“Explained what?” Yang asked. </p>
<p>“Apparently, when I told Weiss earlier, I didn’t say what would happen if it built up too much.”</p>
<p>Yang squeezed her eyes shut a moment and opened them again. “Back up a second. I have to help her? By doing what exactly? You’re the one who has more experience with ghost stuff here. I vote Miss ‘I See Dead People’ be the one to do this.” </p>
<p>Blake frowned but she started laughing when the patch of fog moved right next to Yang and she felt a jolt from being hit on the arm. From the corner of her eye, Yang could see Weiss turning to Blake and saying something, or… It looked like she was. Whatever was being said made Blake sigh. “Right,” Blake mumbled to Weiss and turned to Yang. “I’d rather talk to you about this with us both sitting down.” She patted the couch next to her and moved to a sitting position. </p>
<p>Curious, Yang stepped around to sit next to her. “Why did we get all serious now? Is everything alright?”</p>
<p>“Yeah. Sort of. Ugh,” Blake groaned. “Okay, I already told Weiss about this since she pressed it out of me.”</p>
<p>“She does that,” Yang laughed. She watched the fog to see Weiss move next to her and settle on the couch as well. </p>
<p>“You know I really care about you, right? We haven’t gotten very… intimate yet. But I care about you. A lot.” Blake turned sideways on the couch to better face the blond. </p>
<p>Yang nodded. The way the conversation seemed to be headed worried Yang. She wouldn’t admit it to Blake since she didn’t want to worry her or pressure her into anything, but she was concerned with how distant she had seemed, even after the relationship conversation. </p>
<p>Blake took a deep breath and let it out slowly, seeming to collect her thoughts. “Right,” she sighed. It was something Yang assumed was in response to something Weiss said. The barrier of understanding weighed on Yang. “We haven’t really talked about it since everything with Weiss has been major, but you can imagine how growing up with all of this wasn’t exactly easy.”</p>
<p>Again, Yang nodded.</p>
<p>“It’s left me with a lot of… Trust issues. That’s not saying I don’t trust you, though! I do! But, it’s left me very cautious. And with Adam, there’s a lot to still process since that was only months ago. And it’s not that I don’t want to be… Physical… I’m scared. Not of you, and not of Weiss, but of myself messing this up. And- Yeah, of what happens going from how we are now to how we’ll be after.”</p>
<p>Weiss must have cornered Blake to get this out of her, Yang thought. “Blake, we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. You- you know that, right? I don’t have any expectations or anything like that. I want to be with you because you’re fun to be around.”</p>
<p>Blake bent forward and pressed her face to her knees. “I do want to do things, though. I really, really do. And, ugh, shut up Weiss. You’re the gayest one here and you know it,” she laughed. </p>
<p>Yang snorted. “Well, there’s no rush on this. It’s not like we’re going anywhere.” </p>
<p>Blake hummed in agreement and took a deep breath, sitting back up and rubbing at her eyes. “Oh, right. The reason I got all weird like this in the first place. The easiest way to release excess energy as Weiss has is, well, through sex. Or… maybe not easiest, but it’s one of the safest and fastest. Maybe later when she can master things better and there’s not a risk of frying things or setting everything on fire, she can channel it into something. But, um, that… That thing the two of you did? That was like a flood gate of energy.”</p>
<p>Yang flushed but nodded. “Right,” she mumbled and couldn’t hide the embarrassed smile her mouth pulled up into. Her foot bounced nervously and she glanced at the fog next to her. </p>
<p>“Ugh, just go do the thing,” Blake laughed. “I’ll go across the street and pick up dinner. Your usual?”</p>
<p>“Yes, please. And, thanks, Blakey. It’ll be your turn next,” Yang winked and stood from the couch with a smile, quickly heading to her room with Weiss following behind.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everyone!</p>
<p>I said I wanted to get the rest of this fic out for you all faster, and I meant it. I'm excited to share it with you all. The comments have been really fun to go through and talk with everyone about it, and I'm just... I'm happy it's been received so well. </p>
<p>Thank you all. </p>
<p>Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. We're closing in on the end and I'm excited.</p>
<p>♥</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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